L for Lover
by TheLovelyItem
Summary: An American exchange student comes to the university that L is pretending to be a student at. Unwittingly and quite accidentally, she gets swept up into the Kira investigation. Styled as an anthology of her interactions with and observations of L. LxOC.
1. The First Meeting

Rynn's stomach grumbled. "Aw, come on, stomach," she muttered to herself as she surveyed the campus of Todai University. Light Yagami, her guide, had disappeared, much to her irritation. Now she was hopelessly lost. And hungry.

"Excuse me," she said in shaky Japanese to a girl who had just turned the corner. "Um…where is the dining hall?"

The girl stared at her, not understanding. Rynn mentally cursed…clearly, she should've practiced her Japanese a lot more before she came up with the brilliant idea of high-tailing it over to Japan as an exchange student. What had she been thinking? Then again, a lot of the students here should've been learning English. Light was quite fluent, after all…

"Do you speak English?" Rynn asked the girl in Japanese. The girl said something in Japanese very quickly. "Er…sorry, can you say that again? Slower?"

The girl repeated her statement, but to no avail. Rynn couldn't catch on to what she was saying. "Never mind," She sighed. "Sorry. Thank you anyway."

Rynn huffed in annoyance as the girl walked away. Someone around here had to have conversational English skills, right? She surveyed the courtyard that she was standing in. Her eyes landed on a figure, crouched in a strange position on a bench, reading a book. It was the other freshman representative. She had seen him with Light earlier…what was his name? Hideki something or other. She perked up. Surely, since this guy was supposed to be as smart as Light, he'd be able to speak English too. And the bonus was that she found him to be rather attractive, so this would be a great excuse to speak to him.

She rushed over. "Excuse me…sorry, but, er, do you speak English?"

The young man looked up at her with big, gray eyes. "Yes," he said in perfect English. "Do you need help with something?"

Rynn was astounded. "Wow," she switched to English with relief, "Your English is…excellent. No accent or anything. Are you an exchange student too?" He did look very well like he could be one. He certainly didn't look a hundred percent Japanese.

"No," the boy replied. "I just moved here to Japan a couple years ago."

"Oh." Rynn contemplated this. "Oh yeah, I was meaning to ask, if you could tell me where the dining hall is? I'm still pretty terrible at Japanese, so I can't read any of the signs around here." She suddenly felt embarrassed as she realized what she was saying. Here she was, an American exchange student who recklessly came to Japan without learning the language well enough first, speaking to someone who was allegedly one of the smartest students here. _I'm a dumb ass,_ she thought to herself.

"Of course." He pointed. "Just take a left at that corner, then walk for a bit and you'll see it on your right."

"Ah, thanks so much."

"Shouldn't you have been assigned a student to be your guide, if you're still learning Japanese?" He asked. What an excellent question.

"I was, actually. But apparently he's forgotten about me, since I can't find him anywhere. I think you know him, Light Yagami? The other freshman representative?"

The boy's eyes narrowed slightly. "Oh yes. Light Yagami." He bit his thumb as he stared at her, rather unnervingly she thought. "He would make a good guide."

Rynn laughed with some bitterness. "He would, if he was here!" She sighed. "Sorry, I don't mean to vent my frustrations to you. It's just that I'm starving and that makes me rather cranky. I'm Rynn, by the way." She extended her hand for a handshake.

He eyed her outstretched hand for a bit, like it was something he wasn't particularly interested in touching. She gulped nervously, and was just about to pull back when he reached out and grasped her hand, shaking it.

"Ryuga. Ryuga Hideki." He pulled his hand back quickly, and tried to inconspicuously rub it on his pants. Rynn noticed this.

"I don't have a disease, you know," she laughed. Inside though, she felt rather offended.

"Oh no, I know that," said Ryuga. "Forgive me, I'm just unaccustomed to human contact."

Rynn's eyes widened. She looked embarrassed. "Oh…er, I'm sorry, I had no idea…"

"No need to apologize. It's quite alright."

"Uh…yeah, well," Rynn backed off awkwardly. "Thank you for the directions. I guess I'll be going then." She turned to go, then suddenly whirled around again. "Oh wait!"

She found herself face to face with the young man, who had somehow swiftly gotten to his feet when her back was turned. Startled for a moment, she regained her balance.

"Whoa, sorry…um…I just wanted to ask, do you know if the food in the dining hall will be out on display? Like…will I just be able to point at what I want and communicate through sign language to buy it?" She cursed to herself as the words came tumbling out. _God, I look like an idiot. Go, Rynn, swim back to the US, you're a disgrace._

"That I don't know." Said Ryuga, biting his thumb as he studied her. "I usually eat my meals outside of campus."

"Oh. Well, erm…" Rynn thought for a second. "Can you tell me how to say 'cake' in Japanese?"

Ryuga's eyes suddenly lit up. "Cake?"

Rynn laughed. "Yeah, I know, not the healthiest thing for lunch, but I'm dying for some cake right now." Her eyes suddenly darkened. "They do have cake, don't they? God, they better!"

"I do hope so." He shoved his hands into his pockets, his expression settling back into an unreadable state. "As a matter of fact, I think I'll join you. I'm quite fond of cake as well, and I'm sure you could use a temporary replacement guide."

Rynn laughed, delighted by the idea. "They should just let you take over for Light. You're doing a much better job than him so far." She sobered then. "I really don't want to trouble you though…"

"Not at all. I insist." Ryuga turned to head towards the dining hall. "I do want that cake."

_____________________________________________________________________________

Rynn and Ryuga sat down at a table in the dining hall, their trays filled with food. Rynn dug in immediately.

"Yes! Food! I'm so happy now." She beamed at her plate. Looking up, she took a good look for the first time at what was on Ryuga's tray. Her mouth dropped open. "You…you eat more than me," she whispered, dumbfounded.

Ryuga spoke from around a mouthful of cake. "Yes, one would expect so."

"I wouldn't!" She cried. "I've never met someone who eats as much as me. My stomach is like a bottomless pit."

"Well," he licked some icing off of his fork, which he was holding very delicately between his thumb and index finger. "Now you've met your match."

She stared at him for a moment, then started laughing. "Want to have an eating contest?" She asked.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "I don't see the point, seeing as how I would be the winner."

She grinned. "You're cocky, eh?"

"No, just correct."

Rynn crossed her arms over her chest. "We'll see about that." She said. She observed his tray again. "No main course?"

"This is the main course." He gestured.

"What? You can't have a dessert as a main course!"

"You shouldn't be one to talk," he replied smoothly, nodding at her tray.

"Yes, well I got sushi too, see?" She pointed. "Sweet things aren't all that I eat."

"Well, they are for me."

She gawked at him. "You…you mean all you eat is…cake, and ice cream, and cookies and pastries and other gloriously delicious items?"

"And candy," he pointed out.

Rynn stared. "You're living the dream of a 5-year-old!" She cried. "And yet you're so skinny…how do you manage to retain such a nice figure when you're practically a human trash receptacle?"

"Again, you're not one to talk," said Ryuga as he wolfed down a doughnut. "You were just describing your fondness for junk food earlier."

Rynn laughed. "I've got fast metabolism and a big stomach, and a tendency to be hyperactive. What's your excuse?"

"I burn calories by using my brain." He explained.

"Huh?!"

He tapped his head. "You can burn off a lot of calories if you exercise your brain enough."

Rynn stared at him, then started giggling. "Are you saying that all fat people are stupid?"

"Not necessarily."

She giggled again. "I guess I better start working my brain and practicing my Japanese then. Do you suppose you could tutor me?"

Ryuga looked surprised. "I…well…" His voice took on a cautious tone. "I really can't make such a time commitment."

Rynn was disappointed at the rejection, but masked it with a joke. "Aw, I thought I hit the jackpot. A tutor and personal trainer in one. Being one of the brightest students here, I bet you could've gotten me down to a size zero by next week."

Ryuga looked her up and down. "Your figure is just fine, Rynn." He told her, very matter of fact. "You have no need to lose weight."

She flushed with pleasure. "Er, thanks."

They ate in silence for a few moments. Desperate get rid of the awkwardness she was feeling, Rynn spoke up. "Can I ask you something? Um…why is it that you sit like that?"

Ryuga looked at her very seriously. "I don't sit like this because I want to. If I sit any other way, my deductive reasoning skills immediately drop forty percent."

"Really?" Rynn eyed him oddly, wondering if this guy was for real. "Huh." She contemplated this for a moment, then drew her knees up to imitate him. Crouched on her toes, she rested her chin on her knees and sat like that for a few moments. Ryuga stared at her.

"Is it working yet?" She asked suddenly. "Am I burning calories?"

Ryuga didn't say anything for a moment. Then, "Are you mocking me?"

"Well if you're one of the smartest kids in school, then you're obviously doing something right!" She shifted her weight and winced. "Gee, you must have amazingly strong calves. Got any other tips for me?"

He studied her face curiously before answering. "I find that sweets help my mental capabilities."

Rynn clapped her hands in delight. "Yes! I knew it! I knew cake was good for something other than making me fat and amazingly happy!"

"Rynn, if you are fat, then I belong in a home for the mentally challenged."

She grinned, pleased. "Well, glad to see that you're so confident about your intelligence." She gulped down another spoonful of food. "So, what's your major?"

Ryuga paused very briefly before answering. "Undecided for the time being. And you?"

"Law enforcement." She answered.

"I see." He nibbled his thumb, studying her intently. "Interesting. You want to be in the police force when you graduate?"

"Not exactly…" She laughed. "More like, I want to be L when I grow up."

The boy stopped chewing his thumb. "I beg your pardon?" He asked.

"You know how little boys want to be Superman when they grow up, and little girls want to be princesses? Well I want to be L." She grinned. "I always thought it'd be a lot more glamorous."

He watched her wordlessly during her explanation. Finally, he took his thumb out of his mouth to speak. "You think it would be more glamorous to be a detective than a princess?" He asked.

"Not just any detective, the world's greatest detective," she corrected. "Though I admit I had a more romanticized idea of detective work back when I was five. Something along the lines of Sherlock Holmes."

"Ah yes, how the media influences us when we are children." He swallowed another spoonful of cake, then looked at her very carefully as he asked his next question. "So, I take it that you're not a Kira supporter then?"

The merriment disappeared from Rynn's face, and her eyes suddenly hardened. "Absolutely not." She said, staring down at her plate and deciding to attack the cake. A thought struck her, and she looked up. "Are you?" She asked.

He didn't answer for a moment, and Rynn started getting nervous. "I am not." He said finally. "I suppose you could say that I am apathetic."

"Ah." Rynn decided it was best to be cautious, lest someone got offended. "I hope I don't make you uncomfortable then, with my opinions…"

"Not at all," he responded, "I'm quite open-minded. I just prefer not to take a stance myself, that's all. But I'd be very interested in hearing your opinions. Perhaps you'll convert me."

Rynn nodded. "I respect other people's opinions. I understand that many Kira supporters are biased, because they were victims of criminals that Kira killed, or friends and family of such victims. However," her eyes narrowed, "I am biased as well. My friend was a victim of Kira."

"I'm sorry about your loss." Ryuga offered politely. "What did your friend do to incur Kira's wrath?"

"She was definitely not a criminal, if that's what you're thinking," Rynn said sharply. "She was merely against Kira. She was a journalist, so she spread her beliefs on the matter. And he killed her because of her opinions." Her fists instinctively clenched under the table. "I know I'm biased. I suppose, under different circumstances, maybe I could have been a Kira supporter…I don't know. But to think that Kira would kill innocent people just because of their opinions…and not even hesitating despite the fact that she was a woman…" Rynn took a few deep breaths, trying to control herself. "No, I could never support Kira."

"I certainly can understand why you feel that way," Ryuga agreed.

Regaining her calm, Rynn turned back to him with a grin. "And that is why L is my hero!"

Ryuga couldn't help a small smile. "Is that so?"

"Yes," she nodded enthusiastically. "I hope L finds Kira and throws him or her behind bars."

Ryuga's eyes widened slightly. "Him or her?" He asked quietly. "You think Kira could be female?"

She shrugged. "Don't underestimate women." She grinned at him slyly. He only stared back at her, a strange expression decorating his features. Her smile slowly faded. "You look like you're scared of me now," she tried joking, but it was half-heartedly.

"I just find your idea to be quite an intriguing one," he replied, biting his thumb again but not meeting her eye. She looked at him worriedly. It was as if his whole demeanor had just changed, and she couldn't understand why.

Suddenly, Ryuga's cell phone rang. "Excuse me," he said to her, pulling out the device and flipping it open. Rynn took in the peculiar way that he held it. She observed him curiously, and with some amusement. _What a strange, strange man,_ She thought to herself.

"I see," he was saying into his phone. "Yes. Yes, alright. Very good." He hung up, then suddenly smiled at her brightly. All of the tension he had been holding previously was gone. "My apologies. Where were we?"

Rynn stared. _Is he bipolar?_ She wondered. "Er…um…" She scrambled for an answer, but sighed. "I don't quite remember."

Ryuga started gulping down what remained on his tray at a speed that had even Rynn transfixed. "Well, I did enjoy our conversation," he said between mouthfuls. "However, I've got to get going." Finished, he stood up. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Rynn."

Rynn stared up at him, wide-eyed. Ryuga stared back down at her curiously. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

"That…was the most remarkable display of skill I've ever seen." She declared, still staring at him. "You're right. You win."

He stared at her a moment, not understanding, then smiled again. Quite a dashing smile, she found herself thinking. "You see?" He said to her. "I'm always right." He turned to leave. "Goodbye, Rynn."

She stared after him. A silly grin crept onto her face. "Bye…Ryuga."


	2. A Step Forward

A month had passed. Rynn and Ryuga had lunch together often, even going off campus a few times to try out different bakeries. However, these meetings only happened because of Rynn's efforts. She knew this, and it annoyed her. The strange thing was that he was much friendlier to her now than he had been on the first day they had met. That day, he had behaved very cautiously, almost as though she were someone to be suspicious of. Thank goodness, then, that she had gotten him to change his mind about her. She would have liked to think that it was her charm that had caused his attitude toward her to change, but there was the fact that SHE was always the one asking him to lunch and not the other way around. In fact, sometimes she wouldn't see him for days on end, and then had to hunt him down to find him. It sucked, because the language barrier had prevented her from making friends with anyone else. She was fairly fluent by now, but it was too late to make any other friends now that everyone else had already formed tight cliques. There was Light Yagami…but he didn't seem interested in her. She got over it quickly; Ryuga was nicer anyway. Or he would be, if he would put some more goddamn effort into this friendship!

Rynn sighed as she leaned against the wall of the science building. She'd given up trying to find him for today. Perhaps the smart thing to do would be to ask for his number, so she wouldn't be running around looking for him all the time. But then, shouldn't he be considerate enough to think the same thing? Did he not WANT to be friends with her? She couldn't quite figure it out. He didn't seem interested in her company, since he never sought her out. But on the other hand, if SHE sought him out, then he was always very friendly, even seeming to enjoy hanging out with her. They did bond well over their sweets obsession.

Beyond that though, Rynn realized that she didn't know much else about him. Though he was friendly and polite, he did not open up very much. She wondered over how they had managed to have such stimulating conversations without her ever having learned anything about his personal life. She certainly had talked about herself a lot, her life in the US, her career goals, and so on. And yet she knew nothing about him. It made her feel stupid.

Voices drifted over from around the corner. Rynn snapped out of her thoughts and stuck her head out to get a peek at who was there. To her surprise, she found the two people who she had successfully communicated with since she had arrived at Todai University…Ryuga Hideki and Light Yagami. They were talking quietly.

"Light!" A high-pitched voice cried out. A pretty blond girl ran over and latched onto Light's arm. Light looked stricken. "Misa is so sorry, Light, but she just couldn't wait to see you so she decided to come visit you at school!"

Rynn's eyes widened as she watched. Was that…Misa Amane? Light was dating a teen idol?!

"Hi, I'm Light's girlfriend, Misa Amane," Misa was introducing herself to Ryuga.

"Ryuga Hideki." He answered, looking mesmerized.

So Light was dating Misa Amane! _God, he's just perfect, isn't he_, she thought to herself in irritation. _Looks, brains, a celebrity girlfriend…like a freaking robot._

"I'm jealous." She suddenly heard Ryuga say. "I have a been a huge fan of yours since the August issue of Eighteen, Miss Amane."

Rynn's eyes narrowed. Apparently he wasn't the only one jealous. Here she had been, trailing after him like a puppy for weeks, and suddenly this teen pop princess appeared and he was on his knees for her. She sighed. _Damn it, Rynn,_ she thought to herself. _You're such a sucker._

A crowd of students had noticed Misa and had rushed over to surround her. Rolling her eyes, Rynn turned away from the scene and went back to leaning against the wall. No use in approaching Ryuga right now, he was just as transfixed by Misa as everyone else. She hoped that the hubbub would calm down soon though. She was hungry and had been hoping to try another place to eat with Ryuga today.

She was lost in her daydreams of strawberry shortcake and gingerbread men, when the sound of music drifted over. It sounded like a ringtone. She straightened up curiously and peeked around the corner again to see if Ryuga was still there.

He was. In fact, he was currently staring, transfixed, at a flashy cell phone dangling from his fingers as it rang. Rynn had to stifle a giggle; the expression on his face was to die for. She watched as he answered, Light approaching him from behind, and then Ryuga turning around to hand him the phone. Rynn smiled, even though she had no idea what was going on. It was a puzzling and yet amusing scene that she had just witnessed. _What a strange man,_ she found herself thinking. A thought that had passed through her head often in the past few weeks.

Ryuga started to turn in her direction, and she quickly pressed herself back up against the wall. She didn't want him to think that she had been spying on him. She heard a phone ring again.

"Yes?" Ryuga's voice answered. "Ah. Very good. Thank you." The sound of a phone flipping shut. "Light, I suppose I should let you know that Misa Amane has been arrested under suspicions of being the second Kira."

Rynn's eyes widened in disbelief. _Did he just say…Kira? The SECOND Kira?_ Her heart began to pound as a million thoughts rushed through her head. Misa Amane was the second Kira?

_"Him OR her?" He repeated. "You think Kira could be female? …I find that to be an intriguing idea…"_

Ryuga's suspicious eyes from that day filled Rynn's thoughts. _He had known that Kira was a female…_

Ryuga suddenly appeared from around the corner, almost walking straight into her. She yelped and jumped back, staring at him with wide eyes. He stared back, silently. One look into his eyes and she knew: He knew she had heard.

"You…" She heard her voice speak, trembling. "You're part of the Kira investigation…"

He continued to watch her, saying nothing.

"You lied to me," she continued, more to herself than anyone else. "You're anti-Kira. You're not even a real student—you're undercover, aren't you?" Still in a state of shock, she babbled on without thinking. "Did you…I...I was a suspect! You thought I might have been…the second Kira. When you first met me."

She didn't know if she was being paranoid, if her mind was just producing delusional theories due to the shock of all these new revelations. But all she could think about were those cautious eyes of his that had studied her so intently that first day. There had been distrust in those eyes, and heavy suspicion.

Ryuga's voice finally broke through her daze. "For an amateur, your deductive reasoning skills are quite impressive," He said quietly. "You weren't held under suspicion for long. I knew after the first day that you weren't Kira."

She stared at him, one hand clutched at her chest. "You are not a cop," She said suddenly. "Do you work under L?"

He said nothing for a moment as he watched her. His expression was unreadable. "You know too much already." Was all he said.

She backed up then, feeling a sudden surge of panic. "What—what are you going to do to me?"

He raised his thumb to his mouth as he stood there, his other hand jammed into his pocket. He was observing her with a look very similar to the one he had worn on the first day they had met. "I'm going to invite you over to my place for dinner."

Rynn's eyes bulged. "Wha…What?" Somewhere in the back of her mind she realized the irony of the situation. Finally, after all this time, he was the one asking her to spend time with him. Just like she had wanted. She dearly wished she could take back that wish now, as she backed up and he, still staring intently, followed.

"I would like," he repeated slowly, "For you to have dinner with me."

Rynn fumbled for words. _Is he going to poison me?_ She suddenly saw this man in a completely different light…he scared the shit out of her.

"I actually had plans for tonight," She managed to stammer. Ryuga was suddenly unnervingly close.

"Please," he said. "I insist. It'll be on me." He reached out and took her arm. She panicked.

"No, Ryuga, really," She tried desperately to wriggle out of his grasp, but he held tight. "I don't—"

He suddenly shot her a look that scared the living daylights out of her. "I strongly suggest that you cooperate and accept my offer."

Words fled from Rynn's mind and she stood there, unable to move, as Ryuga reached into his pocket with his other hand and retrieved his phone, dialing a number.

"Please bring the car around. I have a guest to bring back." He hung up the phone as soon as he finished this brief command, then began leading Rynn towards the outskirts of campus.

Rynn's thought process was paralyzed with fear. Unable to think, she let her feet follow him.

____________________________________________________________

Rynn sat alone in the lavish room, head in her hands. In front of her was a tray of elegant food, cold and uneaten. A knock came at the door, and an old man entered.

"Are you finished eating, my dear?" asked the man. "I've come to collect your tray."

"Take it." Said Rynn, not lifting her head to look at him. He took a look at the tray, then looked at her worriedly.

"It has been over an hour and you have not touched your food, dear." He pointed out. "Are you not hungry?"

"Starving." She said shortly, still unmoving.

"Are you feeling unwell then?" He asked gently. "Is there anything I can get you?"

She didn't answer. Finally, he sighed and turned to leave.

"Watari," she said softly.

He turned instinctively, then caught himself and stared at her, eyes wide. The girl was not supposed to know his alias. She was staring at him with eyes wide, as if unable to believe that he had actually responded to the name.

"You _are_ Watari," she muttered, and then her head dropped back down into her hands. "Oh, my god." She paused before speaking again. "Tell him I'd like to speak with him. Please."

After a moment, Watari simply nodded and left, closing the door behind him and locking it back up. Rynn remained on the couch, staring at the floor. For the past hour she had been haunted by memories, and one by one a string of them were starting to link together. Things were starting to make sense, and yet she still couldn't quite believe it.

"That food is perfectly safe to eat, if that is what you're worrying about." A familiar voice said from behind her.

She shrieked and nearly fell off the couch, whirling around to stare at the young man who had somehow entered the room without a sound. He watched her calmly as she took a few deep breaths, eyeing him warily the whole time. Finally, she articulated the realization that had been haunting her for the past hour.

"You are L," she whispered.

L's eyes widened, but only slightly. "Again, you amaze me with your deductive skills. You'll be sure to earn your degree easily, Rynn."

She gulped at his tranquil demeanor. It unnerved her. "L," she said, trying to sound braver than she felt. "I assure you that I will tell no one of what I know."

"I believe you." He responded simply.

She was surprised, but she continued hopefully. "May I go, then? Please?"

"I'm afraid that's not possible, Rynn."

Rynn could feel her breathing starting to get shallow. "What?" She squeaked. "But—you—why not?!"

L stepped towards her. She immediately backed away, panicked. "I believe you," he said slowly, a finger tracing his lip, "Because you are going to stay in this room and under surveillance."

Rynn felt like her heart had stopped. "Are you holding me hostage?" She breathed.

"That's a harsh way of putting it," he responded. "Unlike a typical hostage, you are not in any mortal danger. You will have lavish accommodations, and all your needs will be provided for. In fact, your career prospects can benefit from staying here at Investigation Headquarters."

"My career prospects will not benefit whatsoever from staying cooped up in this fancy room!" Rynn heard herself cry hysterically. "They will benefit from school! I have to go to school!"

"Calm down, Rynn," said L quickly, "You may still go to school. We will just have someone keep an eye on you when you go."

"You?"

"Well, when I can," said L, settling onto the couch in his usual crouching position. "Most of the time, we'll have someone else on the investigation team escort you between classes."

Rynn's eyes widened. "Light...Yagami?" She looked dazed.

L glanced at her, tracing his lip with his thumb. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised anymore when you figure things out on your own." He picked up a fork from her tray and took a bite of cake. Rynn suddenly snapped out of her stupor.

"Hey!" She snapped. "That's my cake!"

"I was under the impression that you weren't going to eat, for fear that I'd poisoned your food," said L without sparing her a glance.

She glared at him, not amused. "I don't see you keeling over, so I'm taking that cake at least," she retorted. He continued eating. "Hey!" She stormed over and snatched the fork from his hand. He looked up then, bewildered. "I'm serious," she seethed. "Don't. Eat. My. Food."

He looked at her blankly for a second, then suddenly smiled. She returned his look with one of confusion.

"I'm glad to see you've finally calmed down enough to regain your enormous appetite," he said, grinning.

Rynn stood there speechless for a moment, then plopped onto the couch beside him, shaking her head to clear it. "You can have some," she grumbled finally.

"It's quite alright," he said. "I have plenty more."

"Ryuga—L—whatever, if I've learned anything about you in the past month, it's that there's no way you can sit and watch me eat cake without having some yourself," said Rynn moodily before turning to give him a hard look. "Unless all that was an act as well?"

"No," said L. "My fondness for sweets is quite genuine, I assure you."

She took in his endearing smirk, then turned away to cut him a piece of the cake. Inwardly, she sighed. Ryuga Hideki…L…two figures that she was infatuated with, and yet now she realized that she did not know them at all. To top it off, they were the same person. She was infatuated with an illusion, apparently, and she wasn't sure if her brain could handle it.

"You went to the dining hall with me that day because you suspected me of being the second Kira," she said quietly. It was a question.

He turned to her, a forkful of cake in his mouth. "Yes," he confirmed, after a brief moment of thought.

"And then you left when you found out that I wasn't."

He considered this. "I left because I had business to attend to," he said.

"You found out about Misa Amane…from the phone call you got that day. Didn't you?" Rynn asked, not looking at him.

He nodded. "Very good."

"So I was no longer under suspicion. That's why you no longer needed to stay around in an attempt to interrogate me."

L scratched his head, ruffling his wild black hair. "I was hardly interrogating you, Rynn. Simply observing you."

She said nothing as she continued eating, trying to betray no emotion on her face. Inwardly though, she cursed herself. _I'm such a fool_, she thought grimly. This confirmed it. It all made sense now; the whole conundrum on how he had suddenly gotten so much more friendly, yet simultaneously uninterested in her.

"It's unfortunate that your privacy will now have to be invaded," L went on, "But I for one am still quite glad that we met. If not, I would have never discovered that incredible bakery that you introduced me too, which I now have on speed dial."

Rynn cracked a small smile despite herself. Was he trying to make her feel better? Then again, he sounded more interested in the food she was introducing him too, rather than herself as a person.

"And also you are one of few people I find I can have an intelligent conversation with, which is refreshing," he continued.

She started. _Is he a goddamn mind-reader too?_ She wondered to herself. _Freaking L…_

"After all, like I said before, I'm rather impressed by your deductive reasoning skills."

She sighed. "I figured out that you suspected me. What I can't figure out is WHY."

L didn't respond, shoveling a big spoonful of cake into his mouth.

"Well?" She prodded.

"That," he began, swallowing, "Is confidential information."

"Oh…" She turned back to her food. "Er…I don't suppose there's a chance that I could join the investigation team and find out, then?"

L peered at her out of the corner of his eye. "That's not the plan," he replied.

"My deductive reasoning skills aren't quite up to par yet?" She asked, sounding disappointed.

"It's not so much that," said L as he returned his attention to his plate, "As it is that I'm concerned for your safety."

"My safety?" she repeated, puzzled. "But—" A thought suddenly struck her, and her eyebrows shot up. "You suspect someone on the team?!"

L just looked at her, silent, as she rapidly pieced it all together.

"You suspect someone on the team of being Kira—the FIRST Kira." She shook her head, taken aback. L didn't stop her to correct her. "There's more than one Kira…" she said to herself softly, the concept finally registering with her fully. "My god…" And then it hit her. "Oh, my god. Oh my god. Light. You think it's Light Yagami."

L looked at her, rubbing his lip with his thumb. "You see?" He said. "I can't possibly endanger such potential."

Rynn sat stock still for a moment, then started freaking out. "Light Yagami?!" She nearly shrieked. She knew now. This was why L had suspected her…he had known that the second Kira was female, and had expected that she had some sort of relationship with the first Kira. With Light being the prime suspect, her sudden appearance and claiming that Light was her guide easily put some suspicion on her.

"You want HIM to escort me to school?" She wailed. "Kira?!"

"Please calm down, Rynn," responded L calmly. "I do not know if Light is Kira. I merely suspect him."

"You've suspected him for at least a month," Rynn pointed out, still horrified by the revelation. "It wasn't just a fleeting suspicion like it was with me."

L looked at her curiously. "What makes you so sure of my opinion?"

Rynn looked at him, as if the answer was obvious. "Because you are L." Was her simple reply.

He sat there gazing at her silently for a while before he opened his mouth to respond. "I would have thought," he said quietly, "That after your discovery of who your childhood hero really is, the glamorous image you held of him has been dashed."

"Not at all," she responded softly. "You've revealed your face and identity to the Japanese police force. You went undercover in public, risking your life. All to catch Kira." She looked him in the eye. "You are just as amazing as I always thought you were."

He looked away. "I'm flattered."

"Why is Light part of the investigation team?" She questioned.

"Because his deductive reasoning skills rival mine."

Rynn was stunned. The thought scared her, that Kira could possibly outwit her hero. "Then let me help too," she pleaded.

L looked at her. "You should understand now why your safety would be at risk. Kira—"

"Needs only a name and face to kill, yes I know," finished Rynn. "And Light knows what I look like, and my real name. But he doesn't have to know of my anti-Kira sentiments. I could be just like him…accidentally dragged into the case, just because I may be of use. It's just coincidence that I was taken hostage."

"You were not taken hostage," began L tiredly, "And you know what a risk that would be…"

"Yes," said Rynn shakily. "I'm willing to risk my life to catch Kira. Isn't that a requirement to join the investigation team?"

L looked at her. "Yes."

"You're risking your life to catch him." She pointed out. A small, scared smile crept onto her face. "And when I grow up, I want to be just like you."

L stared at her for a moment. Then, slowly, he smiled back. Rynn thought she felt her heart skip a beat.

"If you're going to be anything like me," he said, grinning at her, "Then you'll never grow up."


	3. The Third Kira Appears

_Fast forward a month or so, to Light's and Misa's release from isolation…_

_..._

Rynn watched in awe, a spoonful of cake frozen halfway in its travel to her mouth, as L carefully handcuffed himself to Light. _Is he serious?_ She thought, gawking.

"Are you serious?!" She heard her thoughts squealed aloud by Misa Amane, who was also staring wide-eyed at the two of them. "This is what you meant by being together 24/7? I didn't know you were on _that_ side of the fence, Ryuzaki…"

Rynn quickly covered her mouth with her hand in what she hoped looked like surprise, but in actuality she was trying to stifle a giggle. L glanced her way momentarily, looking slightly perturbed.

"I'm not doing this because I want to," he said, rather indignantly.

"But Light's mine!" Misa whined. "How are we supposed to go on dates?"

"You can go on dates, it'll just have to be the three of us."

Misa's eyes bulged. "No way! Are you saying that we have to kiss in front of you and stuff?"

"I'm not saying you have to do anything," L replied, starting to gnaw on his thumb. "But I will be watching."

A snort of laughter escaped from Rynn. Everyone in the room turned to look at her, including the members of the police force. She tried to mask it with a fit of coughing. Matsuda patted her on the back. Meanwhile, Misa went back to whining about her distaste over the whole situation.

"You really are just a pervert, aren't you?" She huffed angrily.

"Light," L spoke from around his thumb, which he was biting down very hard on, "Please make Misa stop talking now."

Rynn coughed again to hide a fit of giggles. She caught L's eye and grinned at him. He looked at her blankly for a moment before turning away to observe Light's conversation with Misa. The two seemed to be in some sort of disagreement, for suddenly Misa was pounding Light's chest with her tiny fists.

"I'm your girlfriend!" She wailed. "Don't you love me, Light?"

L suddenly leaned toward Misa and she jumped back, clutching Light's arm. "Misa Amane," he began slowly, eyes boring into hers. "Are you saying that you fell in love with Light that day as soon as you saw him?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying!" She huffed.

"What were you wearing?"

Rynn rolled her eyes from where she was standing. The poor guy, he just kept walking himself into these awkward situations…

"How should I remember? Why do _you_ care what I was _wearing?_" Misa said, just as Rynn had expected her to. "Is this another part of your sick hobby?"

L ignored the question. "Are you also saying, Misa, that after that day, you knew Light Yagami's name without speaking to him?"

"Yes." Misa crossed her arms over her chest impatiently.

"You fell in love with Light and knew his name without even interacting with him first?" L fixed the blond girl with his unblinking stare.

Misa angrily shoved her face up to his. "What's wrong with that?" She demanded.

"Amane," Rynn spoke up suddenly from the corner of the room. All eyes fell on her. "What you are claiming is not possible."

Misa's eyes widened. "But I'm telling the truth!"

"You cannot have known his name merely by getting a glance of him," Rynn continued. _It doesn't take a genius detective to figure that out either,_ She thought to herself with some annoyance. "So explain: how did you find out Light's name?"

Misa's mouth opened and closed for a few moments. Finally, she threw her hands up in the air. "I don't know, alright?" She cried. "I can't remember how I found out, I just did, and then we started going out!" She turned back to L. "And things were going just fine until YOU showed up!"

She continued to babble on as Rynn settled back against a couch, her brows furrowed. Something strange was going on here. She continued watching as Aizawa suddenly rose, marched over to Misa, and proceeded to shove her out the door.

"Call me, Light!" Misa cried before the door was slammed in her face.

"For christsakes," Aizawa muttered under his breath as he stormed back to the couches.

Rynn had turned her attention to Light. "Light," she questioned him, "Why did you turn yourself in as a possible Kira if you didn't think you were guilty?"

Light seemed to think hard about the question, but a crestfallen expression appeared in his eyes. "I really don't know anymore," he sighed. "I don't know what I was thinking. It did worry me that I sometimes thought about how criminals deserved to die…but Kira kills innocent people too. I could never do that."

Rynn eyed him hard. The boy seemed sincere. And it confused the hell out of her. From the first day she had met him up until now, she had always pegged him as somewhat fake. The empty courtesies, the vacant smiles…it was like he was a robot. He was perfect. Too perfect. But now he seemed like a completely different person.

"Light," L was saying from his crouching position on a chair, "Misa is very dedicated to you. Could you possibly use her infatuation with you to your advantage, and find out more information from her?"

Light looked taken aback. "I'm sorry Ryuzaki," he said slowly, "But I could never play with a woman's emotions like that."

"I see," L turned away, biting his thumb. "What a shame."

Rynn's eyes narrowed at Light. She had never pegged him as a considerate sort of person…she shook her head. Was she just being paranoid again? She tried to remember her impressions of Light in the first month that she had met him. Was that expression that he always wore really one of insincerity, or was she being delusional? Two sides of her were in conflict, the one that thought like a detective and faced cold, hard facts, and the other one that listened strongly to intuition. _You can't convict someone of being Kira and claim that it's just because of the look in his eyes,_ She thought to herself, sighing.

"Rynn," L's voice suddenly broke her out of her thoughts. She looked up. He was observing her very intently. "Something is on your mind. What is it?"

"Er…" Her eyes widened. Clearly, L relied on intuition too sometimes. "Nothing," she muttered. "It's probably stupid."

"That I highly doubt."

She didn't answer and sat there for a few moments before glancing at him again, only to find that he was still staring at her, waiting for her to speak. She sighed.

"It all just seems so strange to me," she said. "It's like the two of them…like they have amnesia or something. It doesn't make sense that they can't remember why they ended up where they are now."

L nodded. "I have thought so as well."

"But that still doesn't explain about the current Kira killings," Light interrupted.

"Yes," said L quietly, lowering his head to gnaw on his thumb again. Wisps of his black hair fell over his eyes. "This case has suddenly gotten more complicated."

___________________________

It was midnight. And Rynn had the munchies. Determined to answer to the call of her stomach, Rynn slipped out of her room and quietly made her way downstairs. She knew that wherever she found L, she would be sure to find a mountain of sweet treats as well. She licked her lips at the thought.

L didn't look up as she entered the main room. During Rynn's stay at headquarters, she had frequently visited him at night to indulge in his sweets. He now had an extra big dessert cart next to him each night, just in case she decided to make an appearance. It wouldn't be happy scene if the two had to start fighting over the last piece of cake.

Rynn skipped over and plopped down beside him, helping herself to a cupcake.

"Hey Ryug—er, L—er, fuck, I mean Ryuzaki. You." She pointed a finger at him. "Good evening."

He glanced at the finger pointing at him, unperturbed, then looked up to meet her eyes. "You have to be more careful and remember to call me by my alias," he told her.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she said, licking some icing off her fingers. "I'll work on it." She glanced in L's direction and noticed Light sprawled, asleep, across a desk beside him, still handcuffed to him. She smirked. "Not sleeping in a bed together?"

He glared at her out of the corner of his eye. "No." He said shortly.

"Oh, loosen up, Ryuzaki," she said, her eyes filled with mirth. "You should just accept your feelings. Otherwise it will be terribly awkward when you two take showers together."

L nearly choked on the ice cream cone in his hand. He turned to glower at her. "That will not be happening," he said curtly.

"Shame," she responded, reaching for another cupcake. He shot another glare her way, but she pretended not to notice. "And besides, if he's really Kira, suppose his shower time becomes his killing time?"

"The chances of that happening are significantly low," he answered humorlessly.

She merely grinned at him, but inwardly she was trying to see him from a new perspective. Were Misa's suspicions correct? _Was_ L on that side of the fence? _Awesome Rynn,_ she thought to herself sarcastically. _It's just like you to become attracted to a gay man. Just great._

L looked up at her. "You are staring at me very intently, Rynn," he stated with a look of curiosity. "What is it?"

She fumbled for an answer. "Er, um…not you, Ryuzaki. It's your beautiful ice cream that I'm staring at."

"Ah." He glanced down at the cone in his hand. "Yes, it is quite scrumptious. Strawberry gelato." He held it out to her. "Would you like to try some?"

Rynn smiled, delighted. Leaning forward, she took a lick. "Mm, thank you!"

"I just had it ordered today," he turned back the computer he was working at. "If you like it, there's more in the dessert cart over there."

She jumped up and skipped over to the dessert cart happily to help herself to a serving. As she returned, cone in hand, she circled around Light's sleeping form, as if she were examining him. Leaning down, she stuck her face right into his sleeping one, brow furrowed in deep thought. L watched her curiously.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked.

She didn't answer for a moment, then straightened up and sighed. "I don't know. It feels like he just became a different person overnight. But maybe that's just me, since no one else seems to find anything off."

"I do."

She looked surprised. "You do?"

"Yes. I'd like to hear what makes you think so, though." He had shifted his weight to face her now, eyes glued to her and thumb in mouth.

She gulped. It was amazing how the same man she found rather attractive also struck her as rather creepy. Especially when he stared at her unblinkingly like that. "Well," she began slowly, trying to think back, "His demeanor always struck me as a façade. He just acted so perfect, you know? Incredibly smart, charming, courteous AND incredibly handsome? It can't be for real."

L bit down hard on his thumb. "Is that so?"

"It just struck me that way for some reason," she looked away, unnerved by the strange look he was giving her. "But now, he doesn't strike me that way anymore." She shrugged. "I really have no concrete evidence. It's just intuition. I'm sorry that I can't be more helpful."

L pondered her words. "No, Rynn, you have been very helpful. Even without concrete evidence, it helps if someone else shares my suspicions."

She flushed with pleasure. "Glad to be of service to my hero," she said in response, flashing him a dazzling smile.

He didn't reply, turning back to his computer and lowering his head so that his dark hair fell over his face and hid his expression. They sat in silence for a few minutes, Rynn happily eating and L staring intently at his computer screen. Finally, he spoke up.

"You put me on a much higher pedestal than I deserve," he stated quietly.

Rynn turned to him and saw that he had spoken seriously. She shook her head. "Are you kidding me? I admire you now more than ever. Chaining yourself to Kira?" She gave him an encouraging grin. "You must be either a genius or absolutely mad to do something like that."

"Or both." L reached over to grab a cupcake for himself.

A malevolent smile formed on her lips as she turned away. "Or a sadistic queer."

L turned to her wide-eyed, one icing-covered finger stuck in his mouth. "I beg your pardon?"

"How disappointing for all the women in the world," she went on with a smile, ignoring him. "Such a shame," she added softly as she licked her ice cream.

He stared at her for a long moment before licking his finger clean and leaning in close. Rynn barely kept from flinching. Instead, she coolly slid her gaze towards him. His face was inches to her right.

"I assure you, Rynn," he said, his voice low and slightly dangerous, "That I am attracted to women. _Only_ women."

And with that he promptly pulled back and returned to his position in front of the computer, glaring at the screen.

"Is that so?" She gazed at him with a small smile, admiring his profile.

He didn't respond.

"Well," she got to her feet, "That's good to hear." Grinning from ear to ear at him, she added, "I can sleep in peace now knowing that I don't have Light Yagami as competition."

L's head snapped up to look at her, but she had already turned and was swiftly walking away.

"I'm going to bed," she called behind her. "Goodnight, Ryuzaki!"

She was gone. L continued to stare after her for a few moments longer, before turning back to his computer, eyes still wide.


	4. The Unsuccessful Date

Rynn nimbly descended the stairs the next day, going straight to the dessert cart next to L, grabbing three cupcakes, and sitting down beside him without looking at him. He did not respond to her presence either.

"Good morning, Rynn," said Light.

Rynn was startled. She glanced past L, over at Light. He was smiling cheerfully at her. It kind of freaked her out.

"Uh, morning, Light." _When did Light Yagami turn into Miss Sunshine?_ "So…how's everything going with the case so far?"

"Pretty slow at the moment," Light answered. "We haven't heard reports of any new Kira killings yet, so we're pretty much just reviewing evidence and watching Misa on surveillance right now while we wait."

"Huh." Rynn looked up at the screen. Misa was lying on her couch reading a magazine, and looking incredibly bored. Rynn leaned back in her seat as she observed the pretty girl. "Gee, this is almost as exciting as Gone With The Wind. Anyone got some popcorn?"

"Misa has been complaining about being bored as well," L spoke up without lifting his head. "Perhaps you should go up to her room and spend some time with her. Being the only other female here, she may take pleasure in your company."

"Er…" Rynn glanced at L. Was he trying to get her out of the room because he was uncomfortable with her presence? She sighed; she must have taken her teasing too far last night. Still though, she really didn't feel like hanging out and becoming BFF with the second Kira. She tried to find an excuse to get out of it. "But she looks fine right now. I don't want to bother her."

Just then, Misa's voice came through the speakers. "Hey! I've been sitting here for hours with nothing to do! Where's Light?" Onscreen, the blond girl had jumped to her feet and was glaring up at the surveillance camera in her room.

L gestured. "That's your cue."

"What? No," Rynn protested. "That's Light's cue. She's asking for him."

"Light has to stay here and continue researching."

"Look," Rynn began with slight irritation, "I'm not here for the purpose of entertaining hostages."

"You and I both know both know that's not your purpose here," L responded without sparing a glance her way. "But while we wait to get more evidence, it would be helpful if you could keep a closer eye on Misa."

Rynn sighed. Who was she kidding? She couldn't deny this man anything. "Yes Ryuzaki sir."

She turned and marched upstairs. Reaching Misa's door, she knocked lightly before turning the knob and entering.

"Light!" Squealed Misa, bounding over. "Is that—"

"No," Rynn stumbled back, clutching at her heart from the shock of Misa's enthusiastic greeting. "It's not Light. I'm Rynn. Sorry, Light's busy right now, but—uh—if you want, I can hang out with you for a bit."

Misa looked disappointed at the news, but then lit up when Rynn offered to stay. She looked Rynn up and down. Suddenly, she reached out and touched a few strands of Rynn's dark hair. Rynn flinched.

"Your hair's so pretty," Misa smiled. "Misa-Misa thinks it would look great wavy!"

"Uh—"

"Come on!" Misa pulled her into the room. "We can use my hair curler. And after that, Misa will put some blush on you. You could use some color on those cheeks!"

"Wait—er…" Rynn tried to find an excuse, but to no avail. There was no avoiding it; she was going to be this girl's life size Barbie doll for today. As she stumbled into the room, she turned to glare at the surveillance camera in the corner, giving it the finger.

Two hours later, she made her way back downstairs. As she entered the main room, members of the task force turned to glance at her…and gawked.

"Wow, Rynn, you look great!" Matsuda cried. "Misa-Misa sure knows how to give a makeover!"

Rynn glared at him. "Shut up, Matsuda." She marched over to the dessert cart grumpily and began attacking its contents. L turned to take her in, and his eyes went wide.

Rynn's hair had been curled into soft waves framing her face. Her lashes had been darkened, her lips reddened, and her cheeks held a faint pink hue. To top it all off, she was decked out in lavish miniskirt and a very tight, very low-cut top. She also looked very, very unhappy.

L continued to stare at her as she angrily stuffed cookies into her mouth. She looked up and met his gaze. Her cheeks flushed an even pinker hue when she saw his stare, and she stared back at him defiantly as she took another big bite out of the cookie in her hand.

"You gonna make me babysit her often?" She asked him crossly.

L's gaze didn't waver as he looked her up and down. "Only as needed," he replied.

Rynn took her seat beside him with a huff. "Oh, Ryuzaki," she sighed. "The things I do for you."

L kept his eyes on her. "Your current dedication to this investigation is highly appreciated. Would you please pass the cookies?"

Rynn rolled her eyes and slid the plate of cookies over to him. "Anything for you, my hero." She said sarcastically.

____________

"Rynn!" Misa spun around in a circle for Rynn's inspection, then turned to look at her with anxious eyes. "How does Misa-Misa look?"

Rynn laughed despite herself. The girl was flighty and silly, but she had started to grow on Rynn in the past week. "You look stunning as usual, Misa. Did you really call me up here just to ask me that?"

Misa beamed. "Misa wanted to hear another girl's opinion!" She fussed with her hair a bit. "Misa has to look beautiful for her first date with Light!"

"Well, you do," Rynn smiled. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Yes," Misa grabbed Rynn's hands, startling her. "Stay here and talk with me! Misa-Misa is bored and lonely and you're the only other girl around here, and Light isn't coming for another half hour."

"Er, alright," said Rynn, gently disentangling her hands from Misa's and taking a seat on the couch. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Light!" Misa squealed.

Rynn found herself smiling. "Of course you do."

"Oh, Misa-Misa loves having Light as a boyfriend! Do you have a boyfriend, Rynn?"

"Er, no."

Misa's eyes twinkled as she jumped excitedly onto the couch beside Rynn. "Do you want one?"

Rynn eyed her uncomfortably. "Um…sure. Why not."

Misa clapped her hands in delight. "Misa can be matchmaker for you! Is there someone you want to have as a boyfriend?"

Rynn glanced awkwardly at the surveillance camera in the corner. "Uh…I…well, I haven't really thought about it that much…" she said.

"Anyone on the investigation team?" Misa prodded. "Matsui?"

"What? No!"

"Hmm, well there's really no other young men here…oh! What about Ryuzaki? Do you like him?" Misa suggested cheerfully.

Rynn felt her palms start to get sweaty. "Sure, he's nice."

Misa giggled. "No, not just like! I mean, like, like-like! Do you like-like Ryuzaki?"

Rynn raised an eyebrow, feigning stupidity. "Like…like-like?"

Misa rolled her eyes. "Do you want Ryuzaki to be your boyfriend?" she explained impatiently, as though Rynn were incredibly daft.

Rynn swallowed. "Misa, you are aware that there are surveillance cameras in your room, yes?"

"Yes…so?"

"Well," Rynn cleared her throat. "That means we can't indulge in such forms of girlish gossip."

"But when I asked you what you thought of Matsui, you answered!" Misa crossed her arms over her chest. "You DO like-like Ryuzaki, don't you?"

Rynn backpedaled quickly. "I shouldn't have said what I said about Matsui, I just let it slip out without thinking. Now I feel bad…Even if I answer no, it can still hurt someone's feelings, you see Misa?

Misa thought about this for a moment. "Ohhhh," she finally exclaimed, eyes big. "Now Misa-Misa understands. You are so smart, Rynn! And nice, too!"

"Heh," Rynn managed uncomfortably, as she brought a cup of tea up to her lips.

"And so pretty! Misa-Misa thinks that at least Ryuzaki would want to be your boyfriend, even if you don't!"

Rynn choked on her tea. She glanced at the clock. "Er, um, Light should be here soon," she said quickly, rising. "So I better get going. Have a fun date, Misa."

Misa leaped onto Rynn for a hug, nearly giving her a heart attack. "Bye-bye, Rynn!"

Rynn slipped out and hid herself in a shadowy corner. No way was she going back down there while L was still there, not after he had witnessed that whole exchange over surveillance. He should be accompanying Light to his date with Misa soon. Rynn stood there, waiting patiently.

Sure enough, Light and L soon appeared in front of Misa's doorway and entered, disappearing inside. Breathing a sigh of relief, Rynn went back downstairs.

She noticed the embarrassed expression on Matsuda's face when she entered the main room, and she sighed. "Hey Matsuda," she greeted, strolling back to her seat. "Sorry about—"

"No, no, it's okay," Matsuda laughed nervously, holding up a hand. "I understand. I am too old for you, I guess."

Rynn smiled at him kindly.

"But Ryuzaki would be great for you, wouldn't he? I think he's only a few years older than you…"

Rynn's smile was immediately replaced by a scowl. "Honestly Matsuda, I've had quite enough girl talk for one day, okay?" Aizawa was glaring at the young man as well.

"Oh, right…" Matsuda stammered, lowering his head. "Sorry."

Rynn settled back to observe the surveillance screen. Misa was sitting on the couch in front of the boys, scowling, Light was staring off into space, and Ryuzaki was routinely switching his gaze from Light to Misa as he chewed his thumb.

"Huh. That looks like the lamest date ever," Rynn observed.

"Man," came Misa's voice from the screen. "This is the lamest date ever."

"Don't mind me," said L, "Just pretend like I'm not even here."

Misa glared at him. "That's sick! You're such a pervert!"

Rynn sat back, wishing she had some popcorn. This was better than watching Gossip Girl.

Watari walked over with a tray of cake, handing it to Rynn. Her eyes widened when they fell on the cake, and she immediately squealed.

"For me?" she asked Watari, delighted.

"Ah…well, my dear," Watari cleared his throat, "I was going to ask you to bring this tray up to Miss Amane's room. But I'm sure that they will share with you, while you're there."

Rynn looked crestfallen. Chief Yagami spoke up then. "Yes, Rynn, why don't you go join them? They'd probably be more comfortable with another girl present, to even it out."

Rynn was torn. She really didn't want to face Ryuzaki at the moment. But then, she really wanted some of that cake.

In the end, she decided, once again, to answer to the call of her stomach. Mustering up her nerve, she carried the tray upstairs and knocked on Misa's door.

"Hey," she said, entering, "I brought some cake."

Misa was delighted to see her. "Rynn! You should join us, so then it will be like a double date!"

"Er, right," said Rynn awkwardly as she walked over, putting the tray down on the coffee table and trying to avoid L's eyes. "I'll stay for the cake." She started cutting slices for everyone.

Misa swung her legs happily. "Double dates are fun!" she exclaimed, but then pouted. "But regular dates are fun too." She turned to L. "When can Misa be alone with Light?" She demanded.

"She can't." L replied shortly.

Misa scowled. "You just want to watch us get it on, don't you?" She cried. "You pervert!"

Rynn quickly thrust a plate of cake under Misa's nose, in an attempt to dissipate the increasing awkwardness of the whole situation. "Want some?"

Luckily, Misa was easily distracted. "No. Cake makes you fat."

Rynn snorted. "You don't have to worry about that, Misa. You're like a stick."

"Because I don't eat cake!" Misa insisted. "Once I gain weight, it's soooo hard to lose it again."

"Actually," L spoke up from across the table, swallowing a bite of cake, "You can easily burn calories by using your brain."

Misa huffed in indignation. "Are you saying I'm stupid?"

"No, no," Rynn cut in hastily, shooting L a dirty look. _Great, now I have to play babysitter for two,_ she thought to herself irately. "He's saying fat people are stupid."

"If you don't want it," said L, easily wolfing down his slice and reaching for Misa's, "I'll take it."

"Hey!" Rynn slapped his hand away. "You better be splitting that with me!"

L sat back against the couch, heaving a heavy sigh. "Very well."

Light looked up. "What's the matter with you, Ryuzaki? Lately, you seem like you have no motivation to do anything, much less work on the case."

"Hm. You're right," said L, taking the slice of cake that Rynn handed to him. "Actually, I'm depressed."

Rynn snorted. "That's not possible, Ryuzaki," she told him. "You eat way too much sugar."

L heaved another heavy sigh as he gulped down the cake. "We've spent months investigating but still haven't solved the case. Perhaps we should simply give up for a while, rather than putting our lives at risk."

Rynn quirked an eyebrow at him. The guy really did look put out. Her heart went out to him; she could understand his frustration. He had finally nabbed the first and second Kira, when all of a sudden fate decided to have them lose their memories and bring along yet another Kira. It was enough to make one's brain hurt.

Her thoughts were interrupted though, when Light stood up and suddenly, out of the blue, punched L right in the face. Rynn's eyes widened in shock, and Misa shrieked. The two men, connected by handcuffs, flew into the opposite wall, knocking the coffee table over in the process.

"LIGHT YAGAMI!" Rynn jumped to her feet, incensed. "What the FUCK do you think you're doing?!"

She raced over to the heap that L was lying in, quickly gathering him up in her arms. He looked dazed. Worriedly, she ran her fingers down his jaw, where Light had punched him.

"Ryuzaki," she said anxiously. "You okay?"

Behind her, she heard a squeal. She turned to see that Misa had stepped on the remainder of the cake that had fallen to the floor. Rynn's eyes bulged in anger and she leaped up.

"The cake!" She shrieked, racing back over to see if there was anything left to salvage. There wasn't. She turned to shoot a look of blazing anger at Light. "You knocked over the CAKE!"

If Light had seen the look of raging fury on Rynn's face, he probably would have been terrified. But he was looking instead at L, who he had lifted by the collar.

"What was the point of letting all those people die?" He was shouting into L's face. "What was the point of locking me and Misa behind bars?!"

"I understand," said L in a low, calm voice. "But whatever the reason…" He suddenly dropped to the floor and brought his foot up to meet Light's face.

"An eye for an eye, my friend," he finished darkly, just as his foot made impact.

The effect was immediate; Light was flung back to the other side of the room, dragging L with him. Rynn's eyes widened and she jumped to the side, successfully dodging Light as he flew past. No such luck in avoiding L, though. L's body slammed into hers, sending all three of them hurling into the couch, knocking it over.

Misa stood over them, eyes wide, before fainting onto the floor with a thud.

Rynn groaned in pain. She was sprawled out on the ground, and L had landed on top of her. Light also groaned from where he was lying next to them. L struggled to raise himself up a bit, staring into Rynn's eyes.

"My apologies, Rynn," he said softly, but made no move to get up.

Rynn flushed under his gaze, then sighed. "Are you two quite finished?"

L didn't reply, simply put a hand behind her back and helped her to her feet. It was then that Rynn noticed Misa lying in an unconscious heap on the floor.

"Oh for pity's sake," she muttered under her breath as she rushed to the girl's side and proceeded to try reviving her.

L turned to face Light, who had also managed to get up.

"I am simply frustrated," he began quietly, fixing his eyes intently on Light, "Because the fact that Light Yagami is Kira, and that Misa Amane is the second Kira, is not enough to solve this case. And that is why I'm a little depressed. Is that so unreasonable?"

"Yes!" Light objected heatedly. "It's as if you won't be satisfied unless I'm Kira!"

"There may be some truth to that," L replied lowly, still maintaining eye contact with Light. "In fact, you're right...I wanted you to be Kira."

Suddenly, Light's fist was in L's face again. Rynn's head flew up to take this in, eyes wide. L was miraculously holding his ground.

"As I said before, an eye for an eye," L's voice sounded like a low growl. "I'm a lot stronger than I look."

In the blink of an eye, L whirled around and brought his foot up to kick Light again. Light stumbled backwards, barely regaining his balance. For a moment, Rynn could only sit there and stare, transfixed, as the two fought.

A thought briefly passed through her mind: _That was…incredibly hot._ Rynn shook her head viciously to disperse such frivolous thoughts. Regaining her senses, she leaped to her feet and jumped in between them.

"Would you two stop acting like five-year-olds, for Christ's sake!" she shouted as she held Light back from hitting L again. She didn't have as much luck fending off L. He really _was_ strong.

"Ryuzaki!" She yelled at him, highly irritated now. "For crying out loud…" she struggled against him. "Would you stop it with the violence and go back to gorging yourself on cake or something! God fucking damn it!"

Just then, the phone rang. All three of them froze, turning their heads towards the phone. After a moment, L let go of Light and dropped to the ground, picking up the phone.

"Yes?" He said, holding the phone between his thumb and forefinger. A pause. "I see." He hung up.

"What was that?" Light asked.

"Matsuda's being stupid again," L replied simply. "Would you help me return the furniture to order, please?"

"Huh? Oh, sure," Light complied easily, helping L turn the couch upright again.

Rynn stared at the two, watching them calmly arrange furniture together as if nothing had just happened. She rolled her eyes.

_Boys,_ she thought to herself.


	5. Discovery Of The Yotsuba Group

Rynn was sitting at her desk in the main room of Investigation Headquarters, moodily stabbing at the Jello on her plate with a spoon and glaring at it viciously as though it were something despicable. In reality, she was pretending that it was Light Yagami lying on her plate, and that she was stabbing him to death. With a spoon. _Spooning his fucking heart out,_ She thought to herself angrily. Because once that bastard was dead, he could finally stop being attached to L's hip for every minute of every hour of every goddamn day!

_To hell with Light Yagami,_ she thought, gnashing her teeth. _To hell with Kira, all fucking three of them!_

She had not spoken with L privately for over a month now, due to Light always being in earshot. And she was starting to get depressed about it.

A couple days after the first date between Light and Misa, Rynn had paid a nighttime visit to L again in an attempt to cheer him up and ease his supposed depression. He had seemed as though he appreciated her efforts, thanking her and giving her a small smile. But then he had looked over cautiously at Light's sleeping form next to him, and quickly scribbled something down on a piece of paper and handed it to her.

_My apologies_, it read, _but out of concern for your safety I must request that you no longer visit me in the evenings. I still suspect that it's all an act on Light's part, and he must not be aware that we are friends. Many nights he stays up with me to continue investigating._

She had given him a half-hearted smile of understanding, carefully tearing up the note and disposing of it so that no one would come across it. He had nodded in approval and kindly bid her goodnight. And since then, they had been treating each other as nothing more than cordial colleagues while in front of the investigation team. And in front of Light. Goddamn fucking Light.

She wondered, however, if L had truly made that request out of concern for her safety. There was logical reasoning behind that request, yes, but did L have an ulterior motive as well? Was he no longer comfortable with her company?

"Do you not enjoy the Jello, Rynn?" L spoke up quietly from beside her, bringing her out of her thoughts. "Here. Try this then."

He pushed a plate over. She looked down to see what it was, then beamed. It was tiramisu cake.

Back when they had been able to enjoy each other's company without Light being around, their conversations often turned to food, particularly when Rynn would exclaim in delight over some new treat that L had ordered. It was as though he was a living encyclopedia of every sweet type of food there was. Some of the things he brought up made her mouth water, and she had longingly gushed about how she would like to try them. Lately, many of the delicacies L knew she was pining for had begun showing up in the dessert cart, much to her pleasure. Tiramisu was one of the things she had asked for.

Rynn looked up from the tiramisu and flashed a discrete, sweet smile in L's direction. He nodded slightly.

"Ryuzaki," Light suddenly spoke up. "I know you're still feeling down, but take a look at this."

L rolled his office chair over to Light's side, examining the graph that was displayed on his computer screen. Rynn leaned over to get a look too.

"It's not just criminals that have been dying of heart attacks," Light explained to them. "An increasing number of victims were top members of big corporations."

"Is there a trend in who's been dying?" L asked.

"Yes, actually," Light answered, tapping a few keys on his keyboard. "They're all from corporations that are business rivals with one particular company, called the Yotsuba Group." He brought up a graph of the company's statistics.

Rynn took a sharp breath. "None of their members have died."

"Yes," said L, bringing his thumb up to tap against the corner of his lips. "It appears that the Yotsuba Group is involved with the Kira killings."

Rynn turned to L, smiling widely. "We finally have a lead!" she exclaimed. "Does that make you feel better, Ryuzaki?"

The corners of L's mouth turned up slightly. "That it does," he said, nodding. "That it does."

__________________________

_Flash forward to the rescue mission for Matsuda…_

_..._

Rynn stared at L, registering the words that he had just said to her. She began shaking her head nervously.

"I—I don't think that's a good idea, Ryuzaki," she said, looking away.

"Why not?" L inquired, observing her from his crouching position on his chair in the main room. "Misa is having a lot of difficulty gathering enough models to act as a distraction for the meeting with the Yotsuba group at the hotel. It would be very helpful and much easier if you can step in and act as one of the other models."

"But…" Rynn fumbled for an explanation, starting to look embarrassed. "I won't fit in. It'll never work."

L raised an eyebrow at her. "I don't understand your reasoning, Rynn."

She sighed, looking down at the floor. "I don't…_look_ like a model," she mumbled.

"What?" Light piped up from beside L. "Rynn, that's silly. You're really pretty. You'll fit in fine."

She looked up in surprise to this response, then noticed that L was studying her very curiously, an expression of slight disbelief on his face.

"Light is correct, Rynn," he said finally, "I assure you that your self-doubts are quite unfounded. You possess more than enough physical appeal to distract those men while the plan unfolds."

Rynn blinked. Then flushed. "Er…" she turned away slightly in an attempt to hide the heat rising to her cheeks. _Did…did he just say that I was pretty?! _"O-okay, if you want me to…"

At the moment, if L had wanted her jump off a bridge then she might have done it.

"Good," said L, turning back to his computer screen. "Misa says that there is a red outfit hanging on the leftmost side of the dresses in her closet. You are to put that on before Watari drives you to the hotel where she and the other models are."

"Okay," Rynn said in a daze, and then obediently turned to go upstairs.

Ten minutes later, she walked back into the main room slowly, looking extremely uncomfortable.

She had thought the outfit that Misa had forced her into a couple months back was exposing…but this was a dozen times worse. She was just barely covered up. The skirt was shorter, and the hem of the midriff top was higher. _And _it was tight as hell.

Rynn had stood in front of a mirror for two full minutes after changing, staring at the work of the top's built-in push-up bra. Then she took in the overall appearance of the outfit—or lack thereof.

"Christ," she whispered to herself. "I look like a hooker."

Now, slipping quietly back into the main room, she felt a sudden desire to bolt. _Fuck Matsuda_, she cursed to herself, feeling slightly panicked,_ Let him die, I'm not wearing this._

"Erm," she cleared her throat from where she stood behind the members of the team who were watching the screen. "Ryuzaki…are you _really_ sure this is going to work?"

L swiveled around in his chair. His eyes widened, and he didn't speak for a long moment, gnawing on his thumb as his eyes roamed her body. Rynn's heart felt like it was going beat out of her chest as she stood rooted to the spot, waiting for a reply. Finally, he managed one word.

"Quite," he said simply, not tearing his intense gaze from her.

Upon hearing this word of approval, Watari approached Rynn. "Come, my dear," he said. "I will drive you to the hotel."

"Don't be nervous," Light said to her before she turned to go. He gave her a small smile of encouragement. "You look great. You'll do fine."

She nodded, surprised to find herself feeling grateful. _Amnesiac Light isn't so bad,_ she thought. She glanced down at L. He was still watching her, transfixed.

"I'll do my best," she said, looking at him. He returned her gaze for a moment, then turned back to his computer.

"Be careful." He said.

She nodded, even though he couldn't see her. Taking a deep breath, she turned to follow Watari out.

__________________________

The eight men who had just entered the hotel room were all sizing up each of the models with Misa. Rynn noticed a few gazes lingering on her longer than others, and a few were even accompanied by leering. She smiled serenely at the men who were paying her extra attention. Inside though, she was freaking out.

"Misa," she murmured under her breath as she leaned in to the blond girl beside her, "I don't know if I can do this."

"Don't worry," Misa whispered back. "Just do what Misa-Misa does!"

Misa and the other models swept over to the men, giggling, and physically led them over to the couches. Rynn struggled to follow and mimic them, gesturing for a few men to come to the couch. Almost immediately, she found herself sandwiched between to men, stumbling onto the couch. One of them slid his arm around her waist and leaned into her face, grinning malevolently.

Rynn swallowed and smiled, clenching her fists tightly to resist the urge to knock a few teeth from his sneer.

Back at headquarters, L, Light, and the rest of the task force were watching the surveillance screen.

"Hmm," said L, observing from his curled up sitting position on the chair, hands resting on his knees. "Misa's pretty good at this. Rynn seems to be holding up sufficiently."

"Yeah," Light agreed as he watched the scene unfold. "She's not as bubbly as the other girls, but a good deal of the men there seem drawn to her regardless. They're definitely distracted. Matsuda should be able to slip out soon."

Onscreen, they saw a man suddenly slide his hands over Rynn's body in an extremely intimate manner, drawing her to him and bringing his mouth to her slender neck. She froze for a moment, then wordlessly lay a hand against his chest with deceptive calmness as he continued his ministrations on her.

L raised his thumb to his mouth and bit down on it, hard. "And the woman thinks she doesn't fit in." He said in a low voice.

Just then, Matsuda appeared on the surveillance camera of the hotel bathroom, pulling out his phone.

"There he is," Light said, just as the phone rang. "Time for action."

_____________________

One hour later, the doors to the Investigation Headquarters opened and Watari entered with Misa and Rynn, who hadn't changed back into their normal clothes yet. The rest of the team had already returned, along with Matsuda.

"Hey girls!" Matsuda greeted happily. "Thanks for helping me out—"

He suddenly yelped as Rynn swiftly marched over, sticking her face dangerously close to his. She had an absolutely terrifying scowl on her face.

"Matsuda," she hissed lowly. "I whored myself out to help you tonight. So if you ever, _ever_ go off and do something stupid again, I will kill you myself."

She turned away from him then, still glowering viciously. Her eyes fell on L, who was sitting on his chair, facing her. He was, once again, shamelessly studying her from head to toe, with much interest.

"Thank you, Rynn," he said very seriously, eyes never once wavering, "For your commitment to this investigation."

She flushed fiercely. "I need a shower," she announced, turning heel and walking away. "And when I get back, I need a whole cake to eat."

L didn't tear his eyes from her even as she walked away. "Watari," he said, raising a dismissive hand in his assistant's direction, still staring after Rynn. "You heard her."

Watari nodded and headed for the kitchen.


	6. Discovery of the Notebook

_During the capture of Higuchi…_

…

Rynn stared at Soichiro and Mogi, who were on the ground, cowering and pointing at…nothing.

"It—it seems only people who touch the notebook can see this…this monster…" Mogi stuttered.

Rynn stiffened. _Monster?_

Without thinking she had walked to their side and bent down to pick up the notebook. Her fingers touched the black cover, and she took a breath. Steeling herself, she turned.

Where there had been nothing but thin air a second ago, there now stood a tall figure of white bones and no flesh, with gruesome purple tendrils coming from its head and yellow slits for eyes. Eyes that were staring right at Rynn.

Her mouth opened to scream, but no sound came out. She could only gape at the creature looming over her, its unnerving eyes staring right into hers.

"Rynn?" L's voice crackled in her earpiece. She didn't answer him. "Rynn, can you hear me?"

"I…I see it," she whispered, more to herself than anyone else.

"Please bring the notebook to the helicopter, Rynn."

Slowly, she backed away, eyes never leaving the creature. It kept watching her as she walked towards the helicopter. She didn't even look at L as he took the notebook from her fingers. She could only stare, transfixed, at the creature who was looking intently in their direction.

"Shinigami." L's voice suddenly broke through her trance. She turned to look at him.

There was a strange expression on his face. One of astonishment, and a tinge of fear.

"They really do exist," he whispered to himself.

_Shinigami…gods of death…_The memory hit her like a thousand bricks. '_Do you know…gods of death…love apples?' '…We can show each other our shinigami…and exchange notes…'_

_Exchange notes…?_ Rynn's eyes widened. _Notes…notebooks…_ She stumbled back a few steps as realization struck her. _There are two of them._

She turned to look at L. From the expression of shocked revelation on his face, she immediately knew that he had realized the same thing. She then noticed that the notebook was no longer in his hands. Panic surged through her.

_What…where did…?_

She suddenly noticed Light, sitting beside L. He was clutching the notebook, and there was a look of complete trauma on his face that horrified even her.

"Light," she said softly. "Are you…"

Light suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream. Rynn jumped back, nearly screaming herself as she clutched at her heart.

"Light!" She shrieked, reaching frantically towards him. "Light, what's wrong?!"

The young man finally stopped, gasping for breath. He didn't turn to her. She stared at him, perplexed.

"Light?" she whispered.

"Are you alright, Light?" L asked. Even he looked rather shocked by the outburst. "I suppose a monster like that would frighten anybody."

Light didn't say anything for a moment. Then, he opened the notebook and turned towards his laptop.

"Ryuzaki," he said. His voice was calm.

L looked at him curiously. "Yes?"

"We should check the names in this notebook and see if they match with the criminals who have died," he said simply, typing away.

Rynn stared at him. _Something is wrong…_ She felt a sudden rush of fear, yet couldn't understand why. _Something is wrong…_

"Oh…right," L responded, looking perplexed as well. "I suppose that's a good idea." He turned back to observe the scene before them, where the shinigami was standing.

Thoughts rushed frantically through Rynn's head. _'Kira's power can move from person to person,' _she remembered L saying. _'And the previous Kira loses his or her memories.' _Her eyes widened as she remembered something else. _'Given your theory, I would have made sure that Kira's power would be returned to me,'_ Light had said to L.

Rynn started. _Kira's power…the notebook…the notebook is Kira's power._ Her head snapped up. _The notebook has been returned to Light!_

"Ryuzaki," she spoke up anxiously, "The notebook—"

Shouts from ahead of them interrupted her. They turned to see what was going on. What Rynn saw made her jaw drop.

Higuchi was clawing at his heart, gagging. She continued to watch, horrified, as he keeled over onto the ground, and was still.

Aizawa ran over to check the man's pulse. After a moment, he turned to everybody else.

"He's dead!" He shouted. "Higuchi is dead!"

Rynn's heart beat furiously. _What? How?!_ She turned to stare at Light. The boy was staring at Higuchi's body with an expression of shock.

"What the hell?" he cried, echoing her thoughts. "How is that possible?"

Rynn raised a hand to her head and leaned against the helicopter, dazed.

_I don't…understand…_

____________

_Back at headquarters…_

…

Everyone sat in grim silence around the table as Aizawa read aloud the rules of the notebook. A few of them would occasionally cast nervous glances in the direction of the death god, who was standing in the room with them.

Rynn stood to the side, biting her nails as she listened. Her gaze switched constantly between the death god and Light.

_Given L's theory,_ she thought to herself, _How in the world would Light pull this off??_

"The last rule," Aizawa was saying. "If the person using the notebook fails to continuously write names of people to be killed within 13 days of each other, then the user will die."

Rynn froze. _What?!_

"H—hey!" Matsuda piped up. "That means that Light and Misa-Misa can't be Kira!"

"That's right," Aizawa said thoughtfully. "Light and Misa were held in confinement for over 50 days. If either of them had been Kira, they'd be dead by now."

Rynn's head was swimming. _This can't be right…this can't be right…_

"Rem," L's voice cut through the air. Everyone turned to look at him. His back was to them as he sat crouched in his chair. "That's your name, isn't it? The white thing over there?"

Rynn nearly choked. _Did he just call that death god a 'white thing'?!_

"Ryuzaki!" Matsuda said in alarm. "You can't just go around calling someone a 'white thing'!"

For once, Rynn agreed with Matsuda's sentiments. But at the moment her mind was too preoccupied to be alarmed by this occurrence.

"Yes, what is it?" The death god spoke.

"There are other notebooks in the human world, aren't there?" L asked.

Rem was silent for a moment before replying. "I wouldn't know," she said finally. "There may be or there may not be."

"If there were," L went on, "Would they all have the same rules?"

Rynn's eyes widened. L was on to something. If this 13 day rule didn't apply to every user of the notebook, that could still mean…

"Yes," Rem said. "The rules are the same for all notebooks."

Rynn stared at the death god. _Given L's theory…if Light were really Kira…_Her eyes slid over to Light Yagami, who was sitting quietly in a chair beside L. _If this is all part of Light's plan…then that death god is on his side. And she's lying._

Her knees suddenly felt weak and she stumbled into a seat. If Light really did have a god of death on his side, how would they ever be able to catch him?

"Ryuzaki," Aizawa said. "This clears Light and Misa of all suspicion. We should let them off of surveillance now."

"That's right!" Matsuda agreed. "It's all crystal clear now. They're definitely innocent!"

Rynn brought her hand back up to her mouth to gnaw on her nails again. _If Light is Kira…then everything is going perfectly according to his plan…_ She bit down hard as another thought struck her. _IF Light is Kira._

She didn't know what to believe anymore.

___________

_That evening…_

…

Rynn padded quietly down the dark hallway and into the main room, where L was sitting alone, crouched in front of his computer screen.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Rynn," he turned to her. "It's 4 am. You've never been awake so late before."

She walked over and plopped down in a seat beside him, drawing her knees up to her chest and hugging them close.

"I can't sleep," she responded simply.

L noted the bags under her eyes. "You look exhausted."

"I am," she admitted. "But I can't sleep. There's just…too many things to think about."

"I see." He observed her for a brief moment, then turned to rummage through the desk drawer. Pulling out a small bottle, he held it before her between his thumb and index finger.

"Here." He said. "Sleeping pills."

She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Why do YOU have sleeping pills?"

"Watari gave them to me in hopes that I might get more rest."

"Oh…" she awkwardly took the bottle. "Thanks." She looked at the bottle, turning it between her fingers to read the label. _Is he trying to get rid of me again?_ She wondered to herself.

With a sigh, she opened the lid and popped a pill into her mouth, swallowing. She continued to sit there for a moment, not speaking. Then she turned towards L.

"It's not working," she said, cracking a small smile.

"I'm sorry," he responded simply, not looking up at her.

Rynn frowned. "Ryuzaki, I was just joking."

"My apologies. My sense of humor is a bit flawed apparently."

Rynn eyed the young man beside her, troubled by his aloof behavior. "You don't have to apologize, Ryuzaki," she said softly. "You didn't do anything wrong."

He didn't answer. They sat in silence for a long time. It was more than Rynn could bear. Finally, she spoke again.

"Is it lonely not having him chained to you anymore?" She tried giving him a half-hearted smile.

"Yes, I suppose so," L answered rather seriously.

Rynn's smile faded. This was not the answer she had expected. "What? Are you being serious?"

"Well, I do consider Light Yagami to be my first real friend."

"You WHAT?" Rynn whispered incredulously.

"We had a friendship," he explained calmly. "Albeit a likely artificial one."

She stared at him for a moment. "Artificial isn't 'real', L," she finally stated quietly.

L's gaze stayed on his computer. "Yes. I suppose you are right. I must've been deluding myself, in a subconscious attempt to make up for the loneliness."

Rynn's heart ached at what she was hearing. "But…you don't have to be lonely anymore, do you? You have…the rest of us, all around you now."

He lowered his head further so that even more hair slid over his face. "We will all be parting ways very soon," he said softly.

Rynn's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"You will see."

"L," she said, brows furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

L looked into her worried eyes for a moment, not speaking. Finally, he turned away again.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I seem to be saying many senseless things of late."

She gazed at him with concern. "Is something wrong, L?" she asked him.

Again, he hesitated before he spoke. "I'm unhappy."

She softened. "Why?" she asked gently.

"You will understand soon," he responded, eyes still fixed on his computer screen.

"L." Rynn leaned over to force him to look at her. "You're scaring me. Tell me what's wrong."

He returned her stare, his eyes betraying no emotion. "I am sorry, Rynn," he said. "For causing you to worry."

"No, L," she said anxiously. "Please, stop apologizing. You have nothing to apologize for."

L turned away from her again. "I have let you down, haven't I?" He stated quietly.

"What? No!"

"I am losing this war against Kira, that you supported me in. For that I am sorry."

"Stop saying that!" Rynn cried. "You have not lost! You have nothing to be sorry for!"

"I have not lost yet," L agreed. "But I can sense when my checkmate is near."

Rynn suddenly felt an unexplainable surge of panic. "Don't," she said hoarsely, moving to face him again. "Don't talk like that. Don't talk like you're about to die or something."

L said nothing, only solemnly returned her gaze. Rynn stared into his large, unblinking eyes. _Why isn't he reassuring me? _Her mind screamed of its own accord. _Why is he acting like...like..._ She suddenly found it hard to breathe. _He isn't going to die. This is ridiculous. You're being paranoid, Rynn,_ she told herself. _He's not going to die. He's not going to die..._ Her hand suddenly reached towards L, then abruptly stopped.

"I—" She cleared her throat, then continued in a quiet voice. "I'm going to do something. Don't freak out, okay?"

L raised his eyebrows in slight confusion, but nodded. Rynn took a breath, then hesitantly put her arms around him and drew him in for a hug.

"Sorry," she said softly, her face against his shoulder. "I know you don't like human contact."

There was a moment of brief silence before L replied.

"You have nothing to apologize for," he said simply.

Rynn let a small laugh escape her lips despite herself as she released him from her embrace, drawing back.

"That was the first time anyone has ever embraced me," L stated in a very matter of fact manner. "I suppose I should thank you for that."

Her eyebrows shot up. "No one's ever hugged you before?" She asked, astounded. "Is…is that because you didn't want anyone to touch you? Oh god, I'm sorry—"

"Quite the contrary," he corrected her. "It would be more accurate to say that no one wanted to touch me. I never said that I disliked human contact, merely that I was unaccustomed to it."

Rynn's eyes softened. "When you said…that you considered Light to be your first friend," she said slowly, "Did you mean that there really was never anyone else before him…?"

"I was never one to attract any friends, even before I isolated myself from the public," L said quietly, turning away from her. "The first person who treated me like a friend was Light. But, as you said before, he was not a real friend. It was simply a guise that I wanted to believe."

Rynn stared at him silently for a moment. "Well, they're all idiots," she said suddenly. "Light Yagami and the rest of them are all idiots if they didn't want to be your friend. I'LL be your first friend, alright?" She hesitated then, looking earnestly into his eyes. "Is that alright with you, L?" She asked softly. "Do you consider me a friend?"

L returned her gaze. "I do," he said, looking her in the eye. "I said so a few months ago, when I asked you to stop visiting me at night while Light was still here."

She hung her head. "I thought that might have been a polite way of telling me to stop bothering you."

"No, Rynn. I consider you my friend. My first real friend."

She looked up again, to see that his eyes were still on her as he spoke. She smiled a little then.

"You're my friend too, L," she told him.

He held her gaze for a moment longer before turning away again. "I'm glad," he said. "I thought you may have stopped feeling that way after today's discovery."

Rynn stopped smiling. "Why would I do that?"

"Because it refutes everything that I've led you to believe so far about the Kira case and about myself as a detective," he explained simply. "Everything that you believed in."

She didn't speak for a moment. "First of all," she said, her eyes hardening, "I am not convinced that a death god would not lie. I think that you have also thought of this."

He nodded. "You are correct."

"So I still believe in you," she continued. "But it's not just because I hold you up on a pedestal, or think of you as a godly hero, or anything like that. It's…it's because I think of you as a friend, and that's what friends do. They believe in each other."

L lowered his head, allowing his dark hair to sweep over his eyes. "Thank you, Rynn," he replied quietly.

Rynn let out a small yawn then. She lay her head down on the table.

"Your welcome, L," she said softly, a small smile on her lips as she continued to watch him, and her eyelids slowly began to droop.

...

_A/N: Hey guys. Sorry for taking so long to bring you this chapter. To make it up to you as well as show my thanks for all the lovely reviews you have given me, I'm starting work on the next chapter immediately after I upload this one. Will that make you happy? :) If you'd like to show your appreciation, please endure this shameless plug of mine... Check out my newly updated profile, at the bottom of which you can find a link to my blog. Check it out, become a follower and boost my ego. The more my ego gets boosted, the more I like to write...that's a win-win situation right there for you and me, no? ;D_


	7. Investigating the Shinigami

_A/N: Here's another one for all you lovely readers, as promised. By the way, I forgot to mention in my previous author's note that my penname has changed, as many of you may have noticed. Don't be alarmed, I'm still me. Oh, and you did read my previous author's note, didn't you? ;)_

...

"Rynn," L's voice drifted through Rynn's head.

She opened her eyes. L was standing over her, a hand on her shoulder. _Is this a dream? _She blinked sleepily. _Best dream ever…_

"Rynn," L said again, shaking her shoulder gently. "You have to get up. It's 8 am. The rest of the team will be here soon, and I can't let Light see you here alone with me."

Rynn lifted her head slightly then to take in her surroundings. She was sitting in the main room of Investigation Headquarters, sprawled out on a desk. _I must've fallen asleep here last night,_ she realized. Rubbing her eyes, she turned to L with a bright smile.

"I'm a lucky girl to get to wake up and see your face first thing in the morning," she said, grinning cheekily.

He stared at her for a moment as if unable to comprehend her statement. Then a small smile spread across his lips.

"I think you're still half asleep," he said, grinning back at her. "Why don't you go upstairs and get changed, then you can come back down and have some coffee when everyone else gets here."

Rynn nodded happily and stood up, skipping from the room.

_________

Rynn emerged from the kitchen half an hour later, coffee cup in hand.

"Hey guys," she greeted the team as she made her way over to her desk. Sitting down, she took a sip of coffee, then looked up.

No one had responded to her. They were all standing grimly around the room, not even sparing her a glance. She frowned, putting down her cup.

"Did somebody die or something?" She demanded, crossing her arms.

"Twenty criminals." Aizawa said shortly.

Rynn started. "Twenty…" Her eyes widened. "Kira…?"

"Yes," said Soichiro from where he stood. "Kira killings have started again."

"I don't understand," Matsuda moaned from the corner. "Higuchi is dead. We have the notebook. How is this happening?"

"This all started after Misa was released, didn't it?" L spoke up calmly from where he was crouched in front of his computer.

"Ryuzaki, would you stop it with Misa already," Light said in exasperation from where he sat beside the young detective. "We already know she's innocent. The 13 day rule proves it."

"Yes," said L, not turning towards him. "So it does."

Rynn looked towards Light and her eyes narrowed. _If Misa is responsible for the killings now, then everything would make sense…if not for that 13 day rule…_

L stood up then, walking towards the couch in the center of the room where Rem was standing.

"Rem," he greeted her as he positioned himself on the couch. "I would like to ask you some questions."

"Alright," said the creature before him.

He picked up the black notebook that was lying on the coffee table between them, holding it between the thumb and forefinger of one hand as he flipped through the pages with the other. He stopped at one page and held it up. There was clearly a piece that had been torn from it.

"If someone were to write a name on a piece of paper torn from this notebook," he began, his eyes carefully watching Rem, "Would that person die?"

"I've never used it that way," Rem replied. "So I wouldn't know."

"I see." L put the notebook back down, then fingered an apple lying in the bowl of fruit on the table. "Then tell me, do gods of death love red apples?"

"Not necessarily. Death gods do not need to eat."

_Not necessarily…_ Rynn pondered this response in her mind. _So that means that some death gods might like apples…?_

"Rem," she said suddenly. The creature turned to look at her then, and she nearly gulped at being under its gaze. She struggled to continue. "Say there are other notebooks like this one in the human world. Would there be other shinigami following those too?"

The death god did not speak for a moment. Finally, it nodded.

"Yes," said Rem. "If a human picks up a notebook that a shinigami dropped, then that shinigami will follow that notebook."

"Wouldn't the shinigami need to get that notebook back though?"

"No. They have their own," Rem explained. "Every—" The creature stopped speaking suddenly, as though she hadn't meant to say so much.

Out of the corner of her eye, Rynn noticed Light's head snap up in their direction.

"What, Rem?" Rynn prompted the death god. "Every what?"

Rem hesitated before speaking again, slowly. "Every shinigami has his or her own notebook. The ones dropped in the human world are extras."

Rynn suddenly realized that she was trembling slightly. _Rem has her own notebook…_

"How do death gods find out the names of the humans that they kill?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

Rem didn't speak for a moment. "We just know," she said finally.

Rynn was silent. _She knows…she knows L's real name…_ She suddenly remembered her encounter with L last night. _'We will be parting ways very soon…you will see.'_

_Oh god,_ she thought to herself. _He couldn't have meant…she wouldn't possibly…_

L's voice suddenly cut through her thoughts.

"Is it possible for humans to have such a power as well?" He was asking Rem. Again, Rem hesitated to answer.

Rynn snuck a glance over at Light. The young man was turned slightly towards L and Rem, his fingers frozen, unmoving over his keyboard. Rynn's eyes narrowed. _He's paying careful attention to them…_

"Yes," Rem finally spoke. "There is a way for the user of a notebook to obtain that ability. But I am not at liberty to speak of it to anyone who does not use the notebook. It is against the rules of the death gods."

"I see." L said quietly, reaching over to pour himself some coffee.

Rynn stared down into her lap, brooding over everything she had just heard. _Kira wants L dead_, she speculated to herself. _If Rem is on Kira's side, then she can kill L for him. But L is still alive…but then, last night he said…_ She lowered her head into her hands. Her brain was starting to hurt from all the theorizing. She tried to start again, organizing her thoughts from the beginning. _Given L's theory…IF Light is Kira, then Rem is on his side because she lied about the 13 day rule. And she will kill L. But…when?_ Rynn furrowed her brow in fault, unable to figure it out. _What is Kira—Light, waiting for?_ She bit her lip in frustration. _How can Rem be prevented from writing down L's name if I can't figure out why she hasn't already done so?!_

Nothing was making sense. Rynn stole a glance at L. The detective was still crouched on the couch, head lowered. She bit down harder on her lip. Well, if she was going to have to go on theoretical assumptions alone…_Alright. Forget everything else for now. IF Rem is on Kira's side, and IF Rem is going to kill L, then how can she be stopped?_ _Assuming…that she CAN be stopped…_ Rynn gulped. _I have to assume…_

"Rem," she spoke up again. The shinigami turned back to her. "Out of curiosity…if you were to write a name down in a notebook but then changed your mind…how would you stop that person from dying?"

She could almost swear that the death god looked surprised then.

"That…is not something I can tell a human," Rem replied.

Rynn's eyes hardened. _Is that the truth, Shinigami? Or are you making up another lie?_ She turned away then, and noticed Light looking at her strangely. She started to raise a questioning eyebrow in his direction, but he had already quickly turned away.

Frowning, she raised her coffee cup to her lips again as she resumed thinking. _Given L's theory, chances are that Rem will kill him with her notebook. There is a way to reverse that death. If I am to believe L's theory…then I must find out how to reverse a death in order to save him. But how?_

Her eyes shifted from Light over to the death god standing beside L. _Shinigami,_ she thought to herself, rolling the word through her mind as she tried to remember every piece of information regarding death gods from the team's prior investigations. _'Do you know gods of death love apples?' 'We can show each other our shinigami…exchange notes…I have the eyes…'_ She paused on that thought, looking over at Rem again. _The eyes…eyes of a shinigami. That's what the second Kira had._

She raised her cup to her lips again, then halted as another thought passed through her mind. _The second Kira…Given L's theory, that'd be Misa. And she'd also be the one killing criminals right now. If she is the current Kira, then she has the other notebook, which means that she…_

Rynn set the cup down as her thoughts finally started to fall into place.

_She has a shinigami with her._

______________

When most of the task force had left for the lunch break, Rynn slipped into the kitchen with her purse, pulling out her cell phone. She quickly dialed a number and held the phone to her ear, waiting as it rang.

"Hello?" A voice answered.

"Hi Misa," Rynn said, trying to sound cheerful.

"Rynn!" Misa squealed. "Misa-Misa has missed you!"

"I missed you too. And it's so boring over here right now. Can I come over to your place for lunch?"

"Yes!" Misa cried. "Misa-Misa is bored too, since Light is always so busy. Come on over!"

"Okay," said Rynn. "I just have to ask Ryuzaki real quick, since I'm not supposed to leave headquarters now that school's on break. But I think I can get him to cut me some slack."

Misa giggled. "Just look pretty and smile, and he'll let you do whatever you want!"

Rynn laughed a little despite herself. "Right. I'll be over soon. See ya!"

She hung up, stuffing the phone in her pocket, then quickly began rummaging through the pantry. Grabbing a number of items off the shelf, she stuffed them into her purse and zipped it up. Satisfied, she began to exit the kitchen, then stopped. Digging through her pocket, she pulled out the bottle of sleeping pills that L had given her, looking at it with brows furrowed. She then poked her head out of the kitchen to glance at the detective and the rest of the task force that was still there. They were all around the table, their backs turned to her.

Taking a shuddery breath, Rynn backed up into the kitchen again, opening the bottle as she did so. She poured the few pills that were left onto the counter, then looked around the kitchen, searching for something heavy. Her eyes fell on the cleaver.

_I have to do this fast,_ she thought nervously as she picked up the cleaver. Raising it over the counter, she cast one more glance in team's direction. Their attention was still on the monitors in front of them. Rynn took a deep breath, then swung the cleaver down onto the table, crushing the pills.

The cleaver hit the surface of the counter with a loud clank. As quickly as she could, she scooped the crushed powder of sleeping pills back into the bottle, closing its lid and stuffing it back into her pocket. She then picked up the cleaver and sprinted to return it back to its spot, just as soft footsteps approached from behind her.

"Rynn?"

She whirled around.

L stood at the entrance of the kitchen, watching her curiously.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she laughed nervously. "I just dropped something. My bad. Listen," she went on quickly, swinging her purse over her shoulder and walking towards him. "I'd like to ask you something."

He tilted his head. "Yes?"

"I'd like to go out to get lunch too, like the others. But…" She fumbled for the right words. "But just for today. I just…kind of miss being outside. Is…is that alright with you, Ryuzaki?"

He didn't answer her for a moment, bringing his thumb up to trace his bottom lip as he observed her unblinkingly.

"You want to go out without a member of the team escorting you?" he asked finally.

Rynn swallowed. The man was a genius, there was no way he wouldn't suspect that she was up to something.

"Yes," she said. "I'll be back soon. I promise. Please?"

She gave him a pleading look. _Trust me,_ she was thinking frantically. _Please trust me…_

L looked at her a moment longer, then turned his head to glance at the remaining members of the task force who were still sitting in the main room. He turned back to her.

"Alright," he said softly. "Be careful."

And with that, he padded out of the kitchen, returning to the main room where the other men were.

Rynn let out a breath of relief, willing her heartbeat to steady itself. Turning away, she headed towards the back door next to the kitchen.

As her hand turned the knob, a thought raced through the back of her mind against her bidding.

_I hope you know what the hell you're doing, Rynn._

Quickly pushing the thought out of her mind, she swung the door open and stepped out.

...

_A/N: I'm on a roll right now, so I'll go and churn out another chapter. Check out my profile and blog and show me some love; it keeps me motivated. I'll return the favor with another quick update. =)_


	8. Lunch with Misa

"Rynn!" Misa squealed, jumping onto Rynn as she opened the door and squeezing her tight.

"Oof!" Rynn stumbled backwards a bit and returned her embrace. "Hey Misa."

Wiggling out of the small girl's grasp, she dug through her purse and pulled something out.

"I stole these tea leaves from Ryuzaki's pantry," she grinned. "Want to make some?"

Misa clapped her hands in delight. "Yes!" She giggled. "You're so sneaky, Rynn."

"Heh." _You have no idea,_ Rynn thought to herself as she headed for the kitchen_._ "Where's your teapot? I'll brew it."

Misa ran over to show her where everything was.

"I ordered sushi for us," the blond girl chattered as Rynn set a kettle on the stove. "I knew you'd like that!"

"You know me well," Rynn smiled. "Thank you."

Misa chattered on for a few minutes, with Rynn occasionally nodding and responding with small talk as they waited for the water to come to a boil. The doorbell suddenly rang.

"Sushi delivery!" Misa cried, grinning. "Misa-Misa will be right back!" She skipped out of the kitchen.

Rynn watched the girl leave, then turned to the tray of tea cups. Pulling out the bottle of crushed sleeping pills from her pocket, she carefully tapped a small amount into the cup intended for Misa.

_Forgive me Misa,_ she thought, biting her lip as she poured hot water from the kettle into the cups. _But I have to make sure..._

"Tea's ready!" She called out.

"Okay!" Misa called from the next room. "Bring it over to the living room!"

Rynn picked up the tray and carried it to the next room, setting it down on the coffee table beside the couch where Misa was sitting, digging through a large brown paper bag.

"Okay," said Misa, pulling out one container, "This one's mine. And this," she put the bag on Rynn's side of the table, "Is all yours."

Rynn laughed out loud. "You really do know me too well," she smiled, raising her cup of tea to her lips.

Misa giggled, reaching for her teacup. Rynn watched her take a sip. Her eyes lit up.

"This is delicious!" She exclaimed. "Who knew Ryuzaki would have good taste?"

"What are you talking about?" Rynn grinned. "He has delicious cake."

"Yes, but that's fattening," said Misa, downing her tea. "Tea is healthy!"

Rynn gazed at the girl as she gulped down the tea. "That it is," she said softly.

Misa licked her lips as she finished her cup.

"Did Misa tell you," she said, setting down her cup and starting on her sushi, "That she got booked for ten photo shoots last week?"

"That's wonderful," Rynn said absently as she glanced around the room. _If Misa does have the notebook, where would she put it?_

She continued to survey the room as inconspicuously as possible as Misa continued to talk. After a while though, she noticed that it had become silent. She turned to Misa. The girl was leaning against the back of the couch, eyes closed and snoring gently.

"Misa?" Rynn said softly. She gently nudged the girl. "Misa, can you hear me?"

The blond girl continued to snore. Rynn stood then, and gently laid Misa down into a lying position on the couch. Then she straightened to face the room, narrowing her eyes.

"Shinigami," she said aloud. "I'd like to see you and speak with you. Where is the notebook?"

She waited. Nothing happened. She clenched her fists, willing herself to keep from trembling.

"Fine," she huffed, and started walking towards Misa's desk. "I'll find it myself. Let's start here."

_______________

_One hour later…_

…

"Damn it!" Rynn screamed.

She stared furiously at the safe that she had just discovered behind a panel in Misa's wall.

_Why didn't I ever learn how to pick locks?_ She mentally screamed at herself. _Why?!_

She had spent the last hour searching through every nook and cranny of Misa's room, finding nothing. Just when she was about to give up all hope, she had noticed the inconsistency of the wallpaper on the left side of the room and discovered the hidden wall panel. But that was as far as she could get.

She banged her fists against the metal safe like a child, despite knowing that that would get her no where. Standing with a huff, she paced the room with clenched fists, muttering to herself.

_What if the notebook isn't even in the safe?_ She thought to herself as she continued to walk through the room in a rage. _What if it's just full of stupid jewelry or something? What if Misa doesn't even HAVE the notebook?_

She stopped in front of Misa's desk as this final thought struck her. Unable to take it, she delivered a vicious kick to the wastepaper basket, toppling it over and sending crumpled balls of paper bouncing off the wall and ricocheting back at her face.

"Fuck my LIFE!" She screamed to the ceiling. Taking several deep breaths to calm herself, she kneeled down to right the basket, and started returning the trash back into it.

"Fucking Kira," she muttered to herself as she stood up again. "Fucking notebooks, fucking death gods…"

She turned to make her way back to Misa, then suddenly stopped, eyes widening in horror.

Standing on the other side of the room was a creature as tall as Rem, dressed in black but with pale gray skin and large, terrifying red pupils against the yellow of its eyes.

A stifled scream escaped Rynn's lips as she brought a hand up to her mouth in shock, stumbling back against the wall.

The thing jumped slightly, as if surprised.

"Eh?" It said in a low, raspy voice. "You can see me already?"

Rynn was shaking from head to toe. "H-how…is that possible…?" she whispered, her voice barely coming out in a squeak. "I…I didn't touch the notebook…"

"Huh." The creature laughed then, a chilling, guttural sound. "You must have touched some of its paper."

_Paper?_ Rynn's eyes went to the wastepaper basket that she had knocked over, then back up to the death god. Keeping her eyes on him, she slowly knelt down again and began sifting through the crumpled up pieces of paper.

After a few moments, she smoothed out a piece of paper to examine it, and gasped. The page was filled with names. She scanned it quickly, recognizing dozens of criminals that had died in the past few days.

She looked up at Misa's sleeping form. Apparently the girl had never suspected someone to go through her trash.

"Shinigami," she said in a steady voice, standing and turning to face the death god. "Is the notebook in that safe?"

"My name is Ryuk."

"Ryuk," she corrected quickly. "Sorry. Well? Is it in there?"

Ryuk's sharp teeth bared themselves into a wide grin. It sent shivers down her spine.

"Maybe it is, maybe it isn't," he said gleefully. "What does it matter if it is? You can't get into it."

Rynn gritted her teeth. "Alright," she said. "Then can you please tell me this: Is it true that a user of the notebook will die after 13 days of not writing names?"

He cackled then. "Why should I tell you that?"

She took a breath. "I'll give you an apple," she said, trying to ignore the voice in the back of her mind that was telling her that she sounded absolutely ridiculous.

Ryuk stopped laughing, his wide eyes settling themselves on her. "You have apples?" He asked. If she didn't know better she'd have thought there was a tone of delight in his voice.

"Yes," she replied.

"Hmm," Ryuk scratched its chin. "You're clever, human, but how are you going to know if I lie or not?"

Rynn's heart sank. Clearly, this death god was not going to cooperate and give her simple answers. There was only one thing left that she could possibly get the answer to.

"I won't," she admitted. "So forget it. Let's make a deal."

Ryuk's eyes gleamed. "A deal, you say?"

Rynn nodded. "You demonstrate to me how a death can be stopped once a person's name is written down in the notebook. In return, I'll give you all these." She unzipped her purse and held it out towards Ryuk, showing him that it was full to the brim with large red apples.

The shinigami's eyes bulged. "All of those?" He asked delightedly.

"Yes." She zipped up the bag then and held it close to her chest. "But first, you must show me what I asked."

Ryuk tilted his head and grinned at her. "So…you want me to kill someone?"

"No!" She almost shouted, before quickly catching herself. Taking a deep breath, she tried to sound calm. "I want you to write someone's name down, but prevent his or her subsequent death."

"How do you even know if that's possible?" Ryuk asked.

Rynn narrowed her eyes. "If it's not possible, then we don't have a deal. Do you want the apples or not?"

"Alright, alright!" Ryuk relented. "Who'd have thought the day would come when humans started bossing death gods around…pfft," he muttered to himself as he whipped out a pen and a black notebook.

Rynn's heartbeat quickened at the site of the notebook. She stood there and waited, unmoving.

"Hmm…" Ryuk looked up at the ceiling in thought and tapped his chin with his pen, musing to himself. "Let's see…whose name should I write down?"

Rynn was silent.

"You'll have to witness that person's actual revival, won't you?" He continued, then lowered his gaze to grin at her. "How about I write down _your_ name, Rynn Harper-Lee?"

Her breath caught in her throat. She had forgotten about shinigami eyes. Panicking, she did the first thing that flew into her mind. She ran to the window, threw it open, and held her purse out…12 stories above the ground.

"If you write my name, the first thing I'm going to do is drop these apples and let them splatter on the ground," she announced, trying with all her might to sound threatening.

_That's the best you could come up with?!_ A voice screamed in the back of her mind. _That's it, Rynn, you're going to die…_

To her utter surprise and relief, Ryuk actually looked absolutely devastated at the proposal.

"No, no!" He cried, waving his arms frantically. "Don't do that! Pft! I was just joking! Don't you humans have a sense of humor?"

Watching him carefully, Rynn slowly brought her purse back inside. Ryuk let out a sigh of relief, then flipped open his notebook.

"Alright, to business," he announced, and he quickly scribbled something down. Grinning, he turned the notebook around so that she could see what he'd written.

Rynn squinted, and cautiously made her way over to the death god so that she could make out the words. As she came closer, the name became clear.

_Misa Amane._

Rynn gasped, whipping her head up to stare at the death god.

"What have you done?!" she exclaimed in horror.

Ryuk cocked his head to the side innocently. "Didn't you hear me before? I'm making it convenient for you so that you can witness her death."

Rynn's heart felt like it had just stopped.

"NO!" She shouted. "I don't want to witness her death! You're supposed to save her!"

Ryuk gave an exasperated sigh. "I know that, human," he huffed. "But I chose her to make things easier. Who were you going to suggest anyway?"

"A criminal!" she cried. "I could've made some quick calls to find out whether or not he was still alive."

Ryuk grinned again, slouching down so that he was eye to eye with her.

"How would you have known if I had actually killed him?" He asked, his grin wide. "How do you know I'm carrying a real death note and not a fake one?"

Rynn stared at him as his words hit her. She hadn't thought this though. He was right. She could only have expected him to demonstrate on either herself or Misa. Had she been too hasty in coming here? _Would I still have come…if I knew that I'd be risking Misa's life?_

The sound of a sharp gasp interrupted her frantic thoughts. She whipped around to see Misa, still lying on the couch with eyes closed, as her back arched upwards and she coughed violently.

Rynn's mind shut down. She dashed over to Misa's side and held the girl's body in her arms as her heart went into cardiac arrest. Misa kept struggling to inhale air, but didn't seem to be succeeding. Rynn's head snapped up to stare at Ryuk, her eyes wide with terror.

"Make it stop!" She yelled, holding onto Misa's spasming body.

Ryuk simply eyed her with interest. "I said I would, didn't I?" he said. "What are you getting so excited about?"

"She's DYING!" Rynn shouted. "What are you waiting for?!"

Ryuk laughed. "Just making things a little more interesting. I've got time left before she's too far gone."

_Too far gone?_ Rynn stopped breathing. _That means there's a limited amount of time to save someone…_ She tried to calm the thoughts in her head. How much time had passed already? _It takes forty seconds for the heart attack to hit…a heart attack can go on for…for how long?_ She bit her lip hard, realizing she didn't know the answer to that. All the past death note induced heart attacks had happened quickly though.

She looked back down at Misa. Slight tremors were still going through her body, and her forehead was crinkled as if she were in pain. Rynn winced and looked back up at the death god, who was calmly observing them both with amusement. Clearly, this was all just a game to him.

"Ryuk," Rynn said, trying to keep her voice steady. "If she dies, the deal's off."

Ryuk sighed. "Must you be so serious about everything?" he asked, flipping open his notebook again. He scribbled something else down, then shut the book with a flourish.

"There!" He said cheerfully. "She should be all better now."

Rynn looked down at Misa. The blond girl was still. Rynn felt her heart beating hard against her chest as she reached out a hand to feel Misa's pulse. It was strong and steady. Rynn shakily let out the breath that she had been holding, then stood, laying Misa back down onto the couch. She then turned to Ryuk.

"What did you write?" She asked him.

He cackled gleefully. "Can't tell you," he taunted.

Rynn's eyes narrowed. "I thought we had a deal," she said through gritted teeth.

"We did!" Ryuk grinned widely at her. "You asked for a demonstration, and I gave you one. You never said that I had to explain myself."

Rynn felt her heart sink. "That's not what I had meant," she said quietly, trying to push out all the screaming thoughts in the back of her mind. "I want to know how you did it."

"Too bad," Ryuk shrugged. "You should've been more clear. The apples, please." He held out one long, clawed hand.

"Tell me how you did it first," Rynn demanded, sounding a lot braver than she felt.

Ryuk huffed in irritation. "Don't try me, human," he said, more serious now. "I'm done playing along with your little game."

Straightening up, he stretched out his wings and suddenly rose up into the air, gliding swiftly over to Rynn from across the room. She didn't move from where she stood, rooted to the spot in terror. He landed right in front of her, plucking her purse from her fingers. Tearing it open, he dug out an apple and immediately started gobbling it up with relish.

Rynn stared straight ahead but saw nothing. She felt like the world was falling apart around her. Ryuk reached for another apple, then halted, noticing her expression of devastation.

"Oh, lighten up," he told her as he bit into another apple. "I couldn't have told you anyway. It's against death god rules. What do you think would happen if humans were running around reversing deaths all the time?"

Rynn still didn't move.

Ryuk observed her as he ate, then let out a laugh. "You sure are one stubborn human though," he said between mouthfuls. "If it wasn't against the rules I'd tell you; you seem like you might make things more interesting."

Rynn glared at the ground furiously, barely paying attention as the death god went on.

"It'd sure be fun if you did manage to figure it out on your own," he was saying as he devoured the fruit at a rapid pace. He cackled then. "I'll tell you this; you can reverse a death by using paper from any death note, not just the one that was used to kill that person."

Rynn's head snapped up and she stared at Ryuk. "Are you telling the truth?" she asked.

"Suspicious, aren't ya?" Ryuk grinned. "Yes, I'm telling the truth, but that's all that I can tell you!"

Rynn looked down at the ground again, contemplating this information.

"Thanks, Ryuk." She said quietly.

He chortled. "Thanks for the apples!"

"Can I have my purse back?"

Ryuk obliged, pouring the apples out of the purse and tossing it back at her. She caught it.

"Thanks." She said, tucking the bag over her shoulder. "Do you think you can finish up those apples before Misa wakes up and sees them?"

"No problem!" Ryuk's eyes gleamed.

Rynn turned to Misa's desk then, where she had left the crinkled death note paper filled with names. Picking it up, she folded it into a small square and stuffed it into her pocket. Ryuk watched her curiously as he continued to eat.

"Aren't people going to suspect you if you show up with that?" He asked.

"Misa's fingerprints are on it," she replied, not sparing him a glance as she started returning the room to order.

Ryuk guffawed. "That paper's from the shinigami world! You can't test it for fingerprints."

Rynn froze. "You're bluffing," she said quietly.

Ryuk kept laughing. "See for yourself!" He said gleefully. "When they try testing it and find no fingerprints, then you'll see!"

Rynn's heart pounded in her chest. _Fuck_. Her eyes fell on the wall behind which the safe was hidden. _The notebook's definitely in there_, she assured herself. _I can bring back the paper as evidence and then tell them to search the safe…_ Another thought struck her then, and she paled. Turning, she faced the death god.

"Ryuk," she said, eyeing him carefully. "Are you going to tell Misa about all this when she wakes up?"

The death god cackled. "That sounds like it would be fun."

Rynn stared at him, wanting to scream. She glanced frantically at the clock. Two hours had passed since Misa had first passed out. _I don't have enough time…_ Her eyes fell on Misa then.

Shooting a quick glare at the death god, she rushed over to Misa and gingerly stuck her arms under the girl's limp body, lifting her up. To her relief, Misa was fairly light.

_Thank you, Misa, for not eating cake,_ she thought to herself as she hauled the girl's sleeping form over her shoulder, ignoring Ryuk's laughter.

"Now what are you going to do?" he asked, watching her in amusement as she straightened up, Misa hanging over one shoulder and her purse over the other.

_What an excellent question,_ she thought to herself as she grit her teeth. _What the hell am I going to do with her?_ Could she risk taking Misa back to headquarters? If Misa was Kira and she had the shinigami eyes, she would find out L's real name. And if Rynn had miscalculated and the team actually couldn't find the notebook in Misa's home, then she would only have put L in more danger than he already was. _No…I'll have to take her to the hospital or something. Yes…I'll take her to the hospital, tell them she collapsed, then leave her stranded there and get back to headquarters. That'll buy me time._

Not answering Ryuk, she turned and walked swiftly out the front door, Misa held securely over her shoulder.

Ryuk eyed the closed door as he continued to munch on apples.

"Things are going to get fun," he said to himself with a huge grin.


End file.
